The Legendary Knight
by Restlessloner
Summary: Last chapter: The Legendary Knight Evil voices and kind ones that speak to you in your thoughts are nothing but reflections of yourself.
1. Sometimes the end is just the beginning

**Two Much: **Sometimes the end is just the beginning...

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Pretear characters...nor will I ever...just letting you know so I don't have to retype this thing over an over and over.

**12 years before...**

"We're moving. I don't know where yet. My dad says if you ask your dad, then maybe you can come and visit."

The young girl shook her head slowly, her eyes scanning the floor. "My dad didn't even know I was coming outsides."

"Really? Are you not aloud to come outside or somthin'?"

The young girl shook her head again. "He knows that I came outsides becuase my big brother told. Now I'm in big _biiig_ troubles," she said gesturing with her hands exactly how big. "I can't come outsides no mores."

"That's not fair!"

"I just came outsides to tell you that I can't come outsides no mores." The little girl looked like she was about to cry.

"Hurry up Kaisho! Before dad notices we're gone!" The girl's big brother shouted from not too far away.

"Bye Himeno," the girl whimpered. She turned and walked over to her older brother.

"B...bye Kai..."

**Now...**

"This is **not** the last you'll see of me, lefae knights. I will disinegrate you and your pathetic pretear soon enough! Until then, I suggest you enjoy your short victory while you have it." Fenril disappeared with a wave of a hand. All her seeds vanished as well. She had retreated after nearly being butchered to death. Her blood puddle where she once stood evaporated into the air.

"There was very minimal damage. No casualties. We might want to disappear before these people become concious again," Kei advised.

"Are you alright, Himeno?" Mannen asked concerned.

Himeno gave Mannen a feeble smile. "I've been doing this for four years now, Mannen. I think I can take a little pain by now." Himeno then clutched the wound on her right arm. "I'll probably be sleeping off a _little_ pain for a couple of days. Don't worry about me though. Hayate is the one who took the most damage." Himeno unpreted with Hayate, letting him fall softly on the grass.

Mannen slumped Hayate's arm over his shoulder and lifted him from the grass. "Goh, Kei, Hajime, do you think with those injuries you could help Sasame, Hajime, and Himeno fly home?"

"No problem," Goh replied in his best attempt at a cheerful. Shin grabbed Himeno (she was the lightest), Goh lifted Sasame, and Kei helped Hajime.

"I...believe...barking out orders...was my job," Hayate grinned in a tired whisper.

"And I believe you deserve a break," Mannen replied, returning the grin.

They flew back to the palace in Lefaenia. It was now that they could rest in peace. Fenril had been fataly injured. Nothing she said as she departed phased any of them for they knew she was no longer a threat. As months passed, the knights and pretear healed from their injuries. The people of Lefaenia basked in the glory of their victory. The Lefae Knights were at ease for a while during the week of celebration, but soon after picked back up guard. They weren't expecting for the Princess of Disaster to strike, but she _was_ still alive. Even if she were dying. Though they didn't keep up as tight a guard as their previous days of battle. So...why....were seeds still appearing?

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"I don't get it," Kei pondered. Shin used his power to restrain the seed with a few vines. "I just don't get why they keep showing up. Fenril hasn't been in this realm for about a year now. She's even fled her previous realm. Could she be sending them here from her current hiding place?"

"That's most likely possible. Which means, some how, she's survived her injuries. But even so, she still can't be strong enough to attack again," Hayate spoke monotonously. "So I guess there's no real way to figure out what she's trying to do."

Himeno watched as Goh burned the seed into nothingness, ashes floating to the floor. Her eyes were slightly saddened. _Fenril's gone now. All that's left is a bunch of weak seeds. Not even larvae. The Lefae Knights don't need a pretear to get rid of weak seeds when they can do it themselves. There's no need for me anymore...so why am I here?_ Himeno sighed lightly.

Being the knight of sound, Sasame noticed. "Are you alright Himeno?" Hayate turned his attention when he heard Sasame's question.

Himeno forced a cheerful smile on her lips. "I'm fine." Just a little bored.

"You sure?" Sasame persisted.

"Ofcourse," Himeno replied, ending the conversation. She didn't notice how quickly the smile disappeared from her face once she stopped paying attention.

After dealing with the pesky seed, they flew home. Himeno walked to her room. She opened her window while grabbing her watering can. "Hey, Mom." Himeno watered the plant on the window cill. "There wouldn't be a real point in explaining to you what I'm thinking right? You always seem to know what I'm thinking." Himeno almost laughed, but instead softly smiled. "And I already know you wouldn't like it. But...I know I'm right. I don't wish for Fenril to come back...but...what use am I without her here? Sooner or later I'm going to have to move on right? I know, I know, they wouldn't try and get rid of me just becuase there's no job for me to do anymore. We're like family. But it's just so obvious. Soon the time's going to come where the superior powers get rid of me...and eventually the knights all together...I think...would they? I guess I wouldn't know really. I'm just...depressed. It's been a month now and none of them even remember it's my 19th birthday tommorow. And I'm not going to remind them. sigh If they don't care then...o well." There was a slight tap at the door. Himeno turned away from the window. "It's open..."

"I'm not interupting anything, am I?" Hayate asked while sliding into the room. Himeno smiled and shook her head. "Dinner's ready."

"I'm not really hungry," Himeno replied with a smile.

"You need to eat something." Hayate said concerned. "You didn't eat lunch." Hayate smiled as he looked past her to the open window. Himeno was about to protest but Hayate cut her off. "Your mother will wait."

Himeno smiled at him again, then turned to close the window. She then walked over to him, accepting his held out arm, and walked with him down the hall. She rested her head against his shoulder as they made their way to the dining hall.

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"I still have time before she comes down here. Just let me change out of this thing," Mannen complained.

"It's Himeno's party, Mannen. It's just for one night. Do it for her," Sasame calmed.

"Exactly. It's just for one night. Which means it wouldn't matter if I were in this suit or my regular clothes. Besides, it's not like she's _my_ girlfriend or anything," Mannen retorted. Hayate gave Mannen a murderous look from the corner of his eyes which he ignored.

"You don't see _them_ complaining," Sasame said gesturing toward Hajime and Shin.

"Look at me Sasame. Does it _look_ like I care?"

"Well..."

"That's a retorical question jack ass."

Sasame laughed at how annoyed Mannen became. Then turned his attention back toward Hajime and Shin. "Shin, stop poking at your tye. And Hajime, take that bandana off and put away that CD player," Sasame ordered. The too obeyed, Hajime putting the belongings in his inside suit pocket. "That's better," Sasame smiled with approval.

Himeno was now lazily dragging herself down the hall, toward the dining room for breakfast. As soon as she came around the corner, to the door way, she was met with a loud "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!". So much so, she almost fell over from shock. Everything was so beutiful. The dining room decorated with balloons and streamers. She couldn't believe it. Everyone looked so wonderful. Her face went a bright red from all the attention, and for the mere fact that everyone looked so fancy. While she, on the other hand, had come down in nothing but a t-shirt and some jeans. "Hello everyone," was all she could manage to say. Everything happened so quickly. Before she knew it, she was having the time of her life. Eating cake, opening gifts, teasing Mannen about how she was never going to see him in a suit again. It really brightened her mood....then.

"We have a problem!" One of the workers from the scensor room that refused to take the day off bolted into the room.

"What is it?" Hayate said now on his feet.

"There a deamon larvae on a remote island off the shore absorbing the lefae."

"Larvae?! How big is it?" Kei asked almost choking on his food.

"By the rate of consumption, I'm assuming quite big."

With those words, the knights quickly morphed into their fighting uniforms with a flash of light and darted out of the palace with Himeno by the wrist.

--------(while on the island)----------------------------

"What the hell is going on out there?!" the man shouted. He sat inside an old stlye sliding door home. Before him, a woman kneeled, her nose to the floor.

"It seems that one the creatures rumored to be seen around the area has found it's way here, sir."

"The creatures said to be absorbing life? Perpostrous! They were also rumored to be small creatures. Besides, if the rumors are true, then the people said to show up to stop said events would be here."

"I can only confirm what is there. And this creature is not small. It is rather big, like an enourmous distorted mushroom with tentacles, and seems to be doing just as rumors say. Absorbing the life of the land and samurai alike. As for your saviors, they aren't here."

"Our people cannot leave this land. Not after our generations of inhabitance!"

_I should have been the leader. I am stronger, smarter. Your arrogance will get us all killed!_ "The monster is relentless. If we do not get our clan to safety-"

"No! The honorable thing to do would be to stay and fight. Now go. Get rid of it. I shouldn't have to do everything myself."

_And what is it exactly that you do?! I do everything while you bark orders! Your a worthless waste of human flesh. You've forgotten the way of the sword due to your inactiveness and lack of practice. You are a disgrace, yet you speak of the honor to die fighting. You will surely flee after the death of the final samurai soldier. If only our father weren't such an arrogant bastard as well. Strong, but stupid. Only a leader because your a man in his eyes, but not in mine. Coward..._

"Are you listening to me?! Go, dammit!"

"Yes, brother."

------------------(The larvae field)-------

"That's the biggest I've seen in a while," Himeno said looking up at it. There were drained bodies lying all over the floor, and those still fighting it. "This is so sad..."

There was a tentacle heading toward Himeno. Hayate quickly blocked it, chopping it off with his sword. "Pret with Sasame, quick!" The tentacle regenerated itself from all the lefae it was recieving and knocked Hayate to the side. Samurai know watched in awe of the guests, as they levitated and shot magic.

"Shall we?" Sasame said extending a hand. Himeno grabbed it, a smile spreading across her face. They fused together in a flash of light, leaving Himeno in her Pretear of Sound uniform. She could hear Sasame speaking to her as if his words were her own thoughts. _First use the flute to pute the civilians to sleep. _"Right..." Himeno held her hand in the air. Though it was not visible, she could feel the flute appear in her hand. It was made of sound waves so vibrating, it felt solid. Then, she played it, placing the samurai into a deep slumber so they looked no different from those already dead. Then she let go of the flute, letting the sound waves disperse into the air. _The bow. Aim for the artificial heart. _"I don't even know where it is." _Fire a test shot. You'll hear it when the arrow vibrates through the larvae's body._ "Alright." Himeno proceded with the same motion, this time recieving a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, both again made of vibrations. Himeno menuvered her aim to get a clear shot past the fighting knights. When she did, she fired. The bow went into the monster, releasing a wave of vibrations inside it. Himeno listened closely through the commotion. She heard a small kink when she saw the waves menuvering around the right portion of the larvae. Before Himeno could get the momentum to fire again, she noticed a woman approach. She was now staring at them in awe. "Where'd she come from?!" _She must have just come, too late for the flute to catch her._ The others looked at her as well, and in one clean swoop, all seven tentacles wrapped around all seven knights. _Great! I can't unpret with you like this!_ "Damn! It's going to suck us dry!" They were all screaming in pain from trying to fight the Lefae being drained from their bodies. The woman backed away, then ran in Mannen's direction, since he was the closest one. She jumped up as high as she could, sword in hand, and sliced through the tentacle. Mannen fell to the floor and unwrapped himself from remains of it.

"Who are y-"

Mannen was cut off by the screams of his comrades.

"Maybe later," the woman said backing away again.

"Right." Mannen took off into the air again, slicing his friends down. The female samurai began running again. She jumped up as high as she could, then sliced another tentacle. It only went half way through becuase of the hieght. The larvae got the pain though and dropped Hayate. It quickly bounced back, ramming itself into her. She flew back a few long feet, then tumbled over in the deadened grass. Her sword landing nearby. Himeno took to the air again, and struck the larvae in the artificial heart. It dispersed in a blast of dust. However, the stolen Lefae did not return.

"It was fed to someone," Goh shouted angered.

"So we can't help them?" Himeno asked, almost crying. It wasn't the first time she'd seen dead people, but it always brought her to the brink of tears.

"No. We can't," Kei replied emotionlessly. He saw that it was already too late for the dead ones. They have no chance at life, so no use crying over it. Sasame unpreted with Himeno.

"That was good. Nice to know you didn't go soft after so many months," Sasame said rubbing his side.

"Thank you. ...um...where's that girl?" Himeno asked concerned. "I mean, she did save us afterall."

Himeno and the Knights walked over to her motionless body. "Are you alright?" Shin asked worried. "Are you alive?"

"She's breathing. She must be then," Hajime said with a small smile.

The woman could hear their conversation. She made a feeble attempt to raise herself, but crashed back to the floor. Mannen reached down and grabbed her arm but she pulled away and raised herself again, now succesfully. "I'm fine," she said in an almost inaudible whisper.

"You don't look fine," Shin objected.

"You don't sound fine," Hajime added.

She waved it off with a sad attempt at a smile. "But I am fine. Just a little banged up. What I really want to know is...who are you people."

"We're not obligated to disclose that information," Hayate replied quickly.

"Fine, fine. Well thank you anyway."

"You saved us. We sould be thanking you," Sasame corrected.

"We-...." The woman winced and clutched her stomach. "Well I'm sure you have somewhere to be. I only assume you are important people...or...disturbed people in halloween costumes. I can only assume. Good day." There was a subtle laugh amongst them at her joke.

"Are you sure you're alright. We could help you-"

"I said I'm fine now go," The woman replied with a smile.

"You heard her. We must be bothering her," Hayate said trying to get them to go.

"Don't be so pushy Hayate. She did save you too," Himeno commented. As much as Hayate would hate to admit it, Himeno was right.

"And what would your name be?" Goh asked leaning over with a cheerful smile.

_AGH! My head...so...dizzy...AGH! My stomach! I think I'm bleeding on the inside! No...just a little pain...I'll get over it...I hope. AGH!_

"Hello in there?" Goh persisted. He noticed the dazed expression on her face between winces.

"It...It's ...Kaisho...Haritansu," The woman exclaimed between her panting. Himeno's eyes widened a little. That name...it was familiar. "Kai...for..short..." Then the woman fell to her knees from the naugia taking over. Everything was blurred and spinning. Then up coughed blood. Alot of it. She wouldn't stop coughing.

"Internal damage!" Kei said feverishly. "That direct blow to the stomach must have ruptured something."

"We're going to have to take her back with us. We can't just leave her out here to die."

"I know that, Goh," Hayate said crossing his arms. Mannen caught her before she hit the floor. He then hoisted her up on his back and they took to the sky.


	2. A Pretear Dronwing in Blood and Sorrow

**Two Much: **A Pretear Drowning in Blood and Sorrow

"Is she going to be alright?" Himeno asked concerned. She, Hayate, Goh, and Mannen were standing around the hospital room bed where Kai lay unconcious. The bruise on her stomach was bandaged as she slept with a pained expression on her face.

"She'll be fine. She drank the healer from the lefae fountain outside," Goh replied. "When the tentacle hit her, it absorbed a little lefae from her abdomal region. We just have to let it come back on it's own and she'll be fine. Just need someone to stay here and watch her." There was a small silence before Himeno spoke.

"I promised Shin I'd help him hang up those paintings of his."

"I told Hajime I would help him find that CD player he keeps losing. You know he's attached to that thing," Goh sighed.

"...I'm busy," Hayate blurted out, not bothering to make an excuse. They all looked at Mannen who obviously wasn't paying attention.

"Oh, huh? i'm not-"

"Then it's settled. See ya later Mannen," Goh said rushing out the door.

"Wait-"

"Bye," Himeno waved while following Goh. Hayate just walked off.

"....great." Mannen pulled up a chair to the side of the bed and leaned back. "This is going to be a long...day." Himeno's birthday party had already been ruined yesterday becuase of the attack. Although she didn't seem to mind. She actually seemed a little happy about it. Kai slowy rolled over, sending a pain through her stomach. Her eyes jolted open as she squieled. "Up already?"

Kai tried sitting up but the pain only made her fall back down. "You shouldn't do that," Mannen advised. She ignored him and tried again. She also fell again. "Stop it. You'll hurt yourself. Then I'll get in trouble-"

"Where am I?" she asked ignoring him once again.

"The First Aid wing of our home," Mannen replied while sitting up. "And you should be getting some rest.You got hit really hard yesterday."

"Yesterday?"

"Yea, yesterday. Why?"

"I shouldn't have stayed here! Dammit! I have to go back," Kai said worriedly. She yanked herself back up, ignoring the pain. Mannen just pushed her back down.

"Your staying until that heals up."

Kai got back up. "I'm going."

Mannen pushed her back down. "Staying."

Kai got back up again. "Going!" Mannen reach over to push her back down again but she caught him by the hand. "And I suggest you not do that again. It's anno-" Kai was cut off by a sudden outburst of light coming from her hand. It felt so cold. She yanked it away just as fast as when she caught it.

Mannen looked at her, pure shock in his eyes. "Y-y- your a-" Mannen stuttered but was cut off by her sudden loud ear pounding scream. "Stop screaming!" She didn't listen. Mannen reached over and covered her mouth. "I said stop! Geez!" She began hitting and kicking at him. "Ow! Stop!" Mannen grabbed both her wrists while she continued kicking him and screaming again. Hajime and Goh rushed into the room. As they stared, they couldn't help but laugh. "Stop laughing and help me over here!" Mannen shouted back. Since he wasn't looking, Kai kicked him in the head, causing him to fall over in his chair. Hajime ran over while Kai hastened out of bed.

"You alright Mannen?!" Hajime asked shaking him.

"I'll be fine," Mannen replied grumpily.

Kai worked her way around them toward the door where Goh stood. Goh lifted her into the air by the arm. " Stop being so panicky. You shouldn't be up and running around. You're hurt badly and need rest."

"I'll walk it off," Kai retorted before kneeing Goh in the stomach. He dropped her on the floor and she darted for the door. She ran had ran down a series of halls for a period of time that seemed to last forever. She heard someone running after her. She turned around to see the blue eyed, long haired one catching up fast. Then she bumped into someone and hit the floor. Sasame looked down at her oddly, then saw Hayate approaching. Sasame leaned over and whispered something in Kai's ear. Then she collapsed the rest of herself onto the floor in a deep sleep.

"Thanks Sasame," Hayate said after he reached them.

"No problem," Sasame replied with a smile. He lifted the sleeping woman off the floor. "Besides, your tactics for chasing down someone aren't that...gentle."

"Yeah, well you should see what she did to Mannen and Goh. It's hilarious."

"Well I guess I need a laugh." The two walked back to the hospital room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This time Sasame stayed to watch over Kai. They locked the door closed also. It was, however, obvious that she wasn't going to wake in a while. Just incase she did, Sasame could always put her back to sleep. Mannen pulled Hayate aside in a desolate area of the hall.

"What's so important that you couldn't tell me later?" Hayate asked. He looked aggravated but the hint in his voice exposed curiosity.

"Well, it's about...uh...-"

"Kai?"

"Yea, right, her, Kai."

"Spit it out."

"Well we were in there arguing earlier and she grabbed my hand..."

"Uh, huh?"

"Yea so then there was this big light, Hayate, and I could have sworn- no,no, I know she was pretting with me.....by accident...."

"...."

"Hello?"

"How hard _did_ she kick you?"

"This isn't a joke. I'm serious."

"I'm sure you are. Maybe you should go get some sleep. Tell Goh to get one of the medics to bandage you up."

"I'm not crazy!"

"Sure you're not. Listen to what you're saying Mannen."

"I-...I know what the hell I'm saying! If you're not going to listen to me I'll just go find Goh."

"Okay, wait. So your saying...that that woman...in the hospital room...is another Pretear?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Now are you sure that you're sure?"

"99.9 percent sure about being sure."

"Than you're not sure."

"Forget it. Where's Goh?"

"I don't know. I'm 99.9 percent sure he and Hajime went to find his CD player in the yard."

Mannen walked away annoyed. Hayate walked back down to the first aid.

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"Another what?" Sasame asked in disbelief.

"I know, but he sounds so sure of himself. I think he's probably right. You know Mannen. When he thinks he's wrong he doesn't bring it up."

"Yes I know. I mean, it's already hard enough finding one pretear but two, and by accident? That's just...a miracle."

"Miracle or not, we'll find out when she wakes up. I'll see to it myself."

"This is very surprising. We'd have to turn the guest room into a room for her-"

"Remember, we don't know yet Sasame. Besides, it's still up to her whether she wants to stay or not. And I think we all know what her answer to that is going to be."

"Yes I know, but it always helps to be safe," Sasame replied with a warm smile.

"When do you think she'll wake up?"

"Care takers say she'll be fine by tommorow morning. It's wierd. They told me the lefae came back remarkablely fast." Sasame then turned to give Hayate a sly grin.

"We still don't know, alright. It's getting late. You should get some sleep. I'll keep watch tonight."

"I've been sleeping all day. I wasn't feeling well this morning but I'm fine and well rested now. Come back in the morning."

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As told, Hayate returned that morning, with Mannen and Goh close behind. Sasame had fallen asleep in his chair but was wide awake when they entered the room. Kai was awake too. She had been leaning against th head board of the bed. Her and Sasame seemed to be having a conversation before they walked in.

"Well I would not believe it if I hadn't seen it myself. My sincerest apologies. You're a good person, Sasame."

"Please, no need to apologize. I will gladly take you back myself. We just want to know. That's all. If true, then you can come and stay anytime you like."

Hayate interrupted their conversation by clearing his throat. They had not even payed attention to him, nor the others, since they entered the room. "Are you two done?"

"Yes, o impatient one," Sasame replied with a soft smile. He had already explained to Kai the situation and what to do when Hayate came.

Kai got out of bed, feeling much better than before. Hayate extended a hand to her which she grabbed with anxiety. She hated being afraid of this stone like being before her. She didn't know why. She just was. "What now-" A flash of light brightened the room and swarmed around her. She snatched her hand away. The breeze around Hayate settled and the air was still. He looked at her annoyed. Kai tried hiding it but you could see the fear in her eyes ignited from just a look. She felt inferior. He reminded her of someone.

"Told you," Mannen spoke through the silence. Hayate ignored him.

"Again. And this time, don't pull your hand away. I'm not going to hurt you."

Hayate extended his hand again, and again, she grabbed it. This time, the light swarmed around them. When it faded away, only Kai stood, in the Pretear of Wind uniform. "What the...? Where'd he go?" _In here...._ Kai looked around the room to see where the voice came from. _Inside you....I'm IN here...don't freak out alright....._ Sasame could see the worry arising on her face. "I-...in..me.....I won't freak out if you GET OUT!" _Alright calm down! _Hayate unpreted with her, she took a step away from him. "I want to go home now."

"Are you sure?," Sasame asked, saddened at her request.

"Yes...," she answered quickly.

"It's alright. We don't need two of them when we already have one who's less annoying. Take her home Sasame."

"You don't have to be so mean, Hayate," Goh protested. "Things would get done alot quicker if she stayed around-"

"But she's not. So drop it," Hayate cut off before walking out the door.

Sasame had already explained to her what was going on, but she didn't care. Even if she wasn't the ruler, she couldn't leave her people with her foolish big brother. Even if they constantly neglected her advise. She was their best soldier. And on top of that, she had a younger sister there who would be worried sick about where she had disappeared to. Ofcourse she didn't tell him that. _I just hope nothing's happened while I was away. The other clan may decide to strike soon while we're weak. I have to be there..._ Kai and Sasame left Lefaenia, and headed for the island.

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"no....." Kai stared at the blood slain mess covering the landscape. Bodies, or parts of them, covered the floor.

"What happened?" Sasame asked mournfully.

"The other clan.....they came already....," Kai replied, tears swelling in her eyes. She ran up the hill to the largest building where she lived. Sasame following close behind her. She slid the door open and ran up the stairs. She manuvered over others lying dead on the ground. There was only one on her mind at the moment. Once she hit the blood splattered hall, she opened the third door to the left. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to. There, slumped up against the closet door, was Mao, her little sister. Her sword lay under her right hand. Her other hand gripped the handle of the sword running through her chest. Kai kneeled over infront of Mao and hugged her, despite the blood she was bathed in. More others than her own. _Your good with a sword...I should have been here..._ She moved the hair from her dear sister's face and used her sleev to wipe the blood away from her cheecks.

"I-..I'm sorry...for your loss," Sasame said with up most sencerity.

"It's okay. I knew this was going to happen, sooner or later," Kai replied heartlessly. She tried her best to detain her whimpering. But Sasame hears everything. Yet so quickly her sadness turned to anger at the thought of her brother. "They'll be taking my brother for a public execution before their people."

"Your brother, was he the clan leader here?"

"Yes...but at least that means _something_ good came from all this."

Sasame looked at her in disbelief. "Are you refering to-"

"Yes," Kai replied anticipating his question. "He was never much of a brother and an even worse leader. He marched toward death with a blindfold on and took these people with him. As far as I can see, this is what he wanted. So this is what he got." Kai pulled the sword from her sister's chest, then layed her gently on the floor. "Sasame....."

"Yes?"

"You can go now. I do not wish to impose any further when you are no longer needed."

"You mean you're staying here? You can't be serious."

"What else am I going to do? It's obvious I'm not wanted in your home. I'm just _annoying_."

"Don't listen to Hayate. He's that way with everyone. He's just tough to get along with. He's really a nice guy." Kai was about to say something else. Sasame put his hand on her shoulder. "You couldn't possibly stay here. You would die too. Then what would she think of you. What would you think of yourself?"

"Your right," Kai said standing. She wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands then turned to Sasame with a soft smile. "Thank you."

"Your welcome," he said returning the smile.

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	3. The New Pretear and the Seeds of Fenril

_(Lidia- No Himeno-Kagome, there is no similarity in the names Kei and Kai. It's just short for her actual name. But aren't you the suspicious one. glares I'm watching you...)_

**Two Much:** The New Pretear, and the seeds of Fenril

"I hope this will be fine. It's a little short notice," Sasame said with an uneasy smile.

"It's just fine," Kai assured. She dropped the bag she packed from home and placed it beside the bed. Their former guest room would now be her room. And it was beautiful. Just fine was an understatement.

"So," Hayate stated in a cold manner from the doorway. "What made you change your mind?"

"My family moved while I was away. Didn't notice I was gone," Kai lied with a perfect little smile on her face.

"O how sad. How did that happen?" Himeno gasped.

"It's...a really big family. I didn't exactly stand out much."

Sasame gave her an odd look but only within his mind. It bothered him a little how well she hid her feelings and thought up lies. _What else could she be hiding?..._

"Well we're glad to have you!" Shin said in a warm smile.

"Thank you. Although I didn't quite catch your names."

"I'm Goh. Knight of Fire. That's Sasame as you know, knight of sound, Kei, light, Shin, earth, Hajime, water, Mannen, ice, Himeno, our current pretear, and Hay...a...te....Where'd he go?"

Kai covered her saddened expression with a smile. "It's fine. Maybe later." _No use in thinking about someone who doesn't even care to introduce himself._

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey," Kai greeted, lightly tapping on the door to let him know she was there. "I saw your door open so I thought I'd drop by."

"H-hey," Shin greeted, smiling back nervously. Kai looked at him oddly, thinking that maybe she was interrupting something. "I thought you went off to look for Hayate."

"Pff! That crank ran off, so I'm sure he's fine where he is," Kai said annoyed. She could feel a slight breeze in the room. "Hey Shin? Do you have the window open? It's kinda cold in here."

"No, I kept it closed. It's probably the AC."

"Uh, huh." Kai looked around for a while, but her attention was diverted when she noticed all the paintings on the walls. "O woa. Those are really good. You do it?"

"Heh, yea, thanks," Shin replied a little embarrassed. Then he hurriedly covered something up with a blanket.

Kai noticed and walked over to him with a sly grin on her face. "Don't think I didn't just see that. What's under there?"

"Huh? What? O nothing much," Shin said waving off the subject.

"If it's nothing then why'd you cover it up?"

"Beeecuase it's not finished. It's really quite a mess right now."

"I don't mind. I just want to see how it's coming."

Shin paused for a bit. He looked really sweaty as Kai's grin grew wider and wider. "B-but-... b-but..."

"I know what it is," Kai said know smiling innocently at the boy.

"Y-you do?"

"Your painting a girl under there aren't you?"

Shin froze, his face turning a bright red. "I-..it's not."

"Yoooour lying, Shin. So tell me. Who is it? Himeno? One of the staff?"

"N-...no...."

"Hey Shi-...Kai...hey. What are you doing in here?" Hajime asked as he walked into the room.

"Just foolin' around," Kai said smiling at the boy.

Hajime raised a brow at Kai. "Since he's thirteen, and your...what...seventeen? Isn't that still child molestation or am I wrong?"

"What did you just say?!" the two yelled at the same time.

"What? It's not like the boy's thinking about trees that hug you and clouds made out of cotton candy if you understand what I'm trying to say," Hajime said as if they were both dense.

Kai yanked Hajime up by the shirt so he was a few inches up. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," he answered a little nervously.

"If I ever here you say something so perverted again-"

"Ch-chill! I was just joking!"

Kai dropped Hajime on his butt. "Good," she said smiling down on him as if nothing happened. "Now what is it?"

"It's dinner time," Hajime replied. He raised to his feet and dusted his pants off.

"O good, I'm starving," Kai said walking away.

"She's going to get herself lost, isn't she?" Shin said softly. Hajime nodded.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kai whined as she walked down the seemingly never ending hall. Her stomach growled rather loudly. "Dinner's gotta be over by now. It's been hours...whining puppy noises...I'm never going to find another living thing. I'll just decay down here," Kai said sitting herself against the wall.

"Well that would be nice. But then again I'd get in trouble for letting that happen.."

Kai looked over from where the voice came. "O, you. Figures, you've been following me all day."

"No I haven't!," Hayate piped. "I wouldn't waste my time."

"Wouldn't, shouldn't, couldn't, but did."

Hayate frowned at the girl with hate in his eyes, but there was a small grin on his face. "Then I guess you're not hungry," Hayate teased while pulling a tray of food from behind his back. Kai shot him a dirty look that seemed to please Hayate.

"That is low."

"Beg for it."

"Pff! You're joking right?" Hayate began walking away slowly, as if waiting for Kai to stop him.

"I don't know why you're taking your time. You can leave now."

Hayate looked back, angrily for a moment, then disappeared down the hall.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Last time we saw her she was walking down that hall," Hajime pointed.

"Great..." Mannen said with a sigh as he walked down the same hall himself. He eventually stumbled across her leaning against the wall. "She fell asleep…," Mannen sighed as he sat down beside her. "If I knew you were this far out I wouldn't have walked the entire way. My feet hurt."

"I can wait," Kai said almost too low for him to hear.

"Wha?!"

"If your feet hurt that badly and you can't walk."

"No, it's not that. I just thought you were asleep." _Hell, she scared me._

"Oh…"

Kai had been staring out the large window that stretched from the ceiling to the floor for as long as she's been out there. "You seem a little out of it. Are you alright?" Mannen felt a light tap on his shoulder. He looked over to see that she had _now_ fallen asleep. _Good night…_Mannen lifted her onto his back and levitated back to the rooms.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Yes. How I have missed my old realm dearly. That other realm did quite a number on my age. You could only imagine how difficult it was retrieving that lefae for you my darlings." Deep in the watery shadows of Fenril's old hide away realm, was the woman herself. The realm she had escaped to was the one of the 15th. There, time goes by much more quickly than in the human realm. Fenril has aged an extensive amount and is crippled from her wounds. "However, how can I live to celebrate your victory in the shape I am in. I need lefae my darlings. But not just any lefae. The lefae from the guarded lefae fountain of youth guarded in the midst of lefaenia palace."

"Yes mother. We won't let you down," the two women spoke at once.

"You better not. And remember, those who rush, fail. You must be prompt and well-planned."

"Yes mother."…..

------------------------------------

Kai shoved every last bit of breakfast food down her throat. She payed no mind to all the weird looks she was getting. "Done!" she exclaimed, pushing the plate aside. A stack lay there from the food she had finished. "I'm full."

Goh playfully slapped Kai on the back. "Wow that was a lot! Where do you pack it all?" Goh laughed loudly.

"Well she is a growing girl," Himeno responded un-phased.

"Well I'm going outside."

"You shouldn't go by yourself again. Remember what happened last time?" Mannen warned while finishing off his food. "I'll come with you."

"Sounds like fun. I'll come too," Sasame said cheerfully while he stacked his plates for the kitchen staff. Kai, Goh, Mannen, Shin, Hajime, Sasame, Himeno, and Hayate head outside while Kei stayed inside and worked. He was never much of the outdoors type.

The knights began sparring for fun in the field. It was three on three. Sasame, Shin, and Goh, vs. Hayate, Mannen, and Hajime. Himeno and Kai sat on a nearby bench and watched.

"So…what's it like?"

"Huh? What's what like?"

"Being the pretear."

"Oh. It's great! You'll love it! These guys are like my family."

"Don't you miss your actual family?"

"…Yea. But I visit them every chance I get. They understood why I had to leave. Besides, I'm not a child anymore. I can't live with them."

"Oh…"

"So what about you?"

"What _about_ me?"

"Do you have any family? Besides the ones that left you…"

Kai remained silent a while, as if thinking about something, before responding. "I had a half brother once."

Do you know where he is?"

"…no."

"That's too bad. Well just think of us as your new family."

Kai turned to look at Himeno's happily smiling face. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"What do you mean?"

"I used to know someone, I think, who had that same hair, and smile. Happy all the time."

"Now that you mention it-"

"Himeno, Kai!" Goh interrupted. "How about you join us. Maybe Kai can get a little practice."

"Sure!" Himeno said excitedly as she rushed onto the field. Kai followed in a slow walk. "So who's team am I on?"

Shin jumped over to Himeno with a large nervous smile. "Our team!"

"Alright!"

Kai gave the both of them a curios look before walking to the other side. "Now what?"

"You have to prêt with someone," Mannen explained.

Kai took one look at Mannen's solid, sturdy, sword of ice, then looked back up at Mannen. "Alright," Kai said extending a hand.

"What? Me?"

"Problem?"

"Uh…no…I guess." Mannen grabbed her hand, and in a flash of light, Kai was left with the Pretear of Ice's uniform on.

"You and Mannen take down Himeno and Shin. Hajime and I will handle the other two."

Kai became slightly nervous. "Take her down?"

"Yes. What's wrong with you? It's just a game."

"Right…just a game." _I should be fine. Fine with what? What the hell. Mannen? Yea? Stop talking while I'm thinking! Stop thinking while I'm talking. What are you so afraid of anyway? Gawd damn I can't even think in my own mind without my thoughts being invaded. Maybe I should reconsider this. You're just trying to avoid thinking about it because you know I'll hear. Shut up!_

"Ready?" Goh rushed. Before him was a sword of fire. Kai admired it's brilliance, her being a swordsman (woman) herself. She took Mannen's sword into her hands. It was heavier than her own but nothing she couldn't get used to. If could avoid it, she'd have to end it pretty quick. Before she got too…_into_ it. _It's just a game. Just a game. What the hell's your problem? I said shut it!_


	4. The Past Always Flashes Back

**Warning: **As you've already read,there are curse words. Yes I said it. So let me tell you now just incase anyone is offended or blah blah blah. I should have typed this earlier.

**Two:** The Past always Flashes Back…

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Hayate spat.

"I didn't do anything! Get off!" Kai retorted while banging her fists against Hayate's arms. He had her pinned on the floor.

"You tried to kill her!"

"NO I didn't. If I wanted to, I would have already."

"Really, Hayate, I'm fine. It was just a little joke. She missed on purpose."

Hayate gave Kai an extremely dirty look, the walked over to Himeno. "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine."

Kai sat up and rubbed the back of her head. She muttered a silent curse word while standing. "I should have just stayed. Dead people are better hosts than this..," Kai muttered to herself. Sasame overheard (he hears everything). "I need to use the bathroom. Excuse, me," Kai sighed while walking back up to her room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kai sat on the edge of her bed. Her eyes fixed on her sword lying on the floor. _What's wrong with me..? _She picked it up and removed the cover a bit. Her own shameful reflection looking back at her in the steel. Then someone tapped on the door. She nervously dropped it and quickly kicked it under the bed. "It's open."

Sasame slowly crept into the room with a warm smile on his face. His eyes were, though, filled with concern. "Hello Kai. May I come in?"

"It's your house," Kai shrugged.

Sasame closed the door behind him. "I just came to apologize for Hayate's actions. They were very violent and rude. I promise you he really is a good person. Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine. Just a little headache. I'll get over it."

"Did he offend you?"

"No, not really."

"It's just that I overheard your comment earlier and-"

"So that's why you're up here? Forget about it. It's nothing," Kai assured. She plopped herself back onto the mattress and folded her arms behind her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. What's with the third degree?"

"It's just, I also noticed you're good at…averting the truth."

"You mean lying? Yea, sure, I guess I am."

"So you understand why I'm not going to believe you when you say 'I'm fine'."

Kai looked at him, a grin of amusement showing on her face. "Okay. How about you show me around, so I don't get lost anymore, and I'll answer your stupid questions."

"You'll be honest?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"If I feel like it," Kai laughed.

----------------------------------------------

"That's?"

"The staff wing. Where they sleep. So, I'll start with something light. Are you afraid of anything?"

"…Are you serious? Um…I'm afraid of the dark."

"Be serious."

"Who says I'm says I'm joking? People can be afraid of the dark. There's nothing wrong with that."

"But why?" Sasame asked in disbelief at her childish fear.

"Why not?"

"You said you would answer."

"I'm just going to lie about it so what's the point?"

Sasame sighed at how difficult she was being and continued with the tour. Kai stopped by the kitchen and picked up a tray of food. She didn't really feel like eating lunch with the rest of the knights. She ate in her room, then took a nap.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The rain fell hard, turning the dirt to mud. The little girl slammed into the mud forcefully.

"Get up and finish him off!" A man commanded from nearby.

The girl got up and turned on her back, crawling away. "But I don't want to," she whimpered.

The brute lifted the bruised girl by the hair and threw her into the mud once more. "The is the last time I'm going to warn you. If you don't do it I'll kill the both of you!"

The child lifted her head from the mud just enough to see the boy sprawled on the floor a few feet away. Her sword was thrown to her side. She looked at it with grave anger and fear. "I…can't," she muttered to herself.

"What was that?! You can't?! What kind of daughter of mine are you? It's disgusting. You will not shame our family!" He raged. He drew his sword while muttering to himself, "If only I would have had another boy." He walked over to the other child and ran his sword through the boy's heart. His screams of pain echoed in her mind. The man then walked over the girl, kicking her onto her back. His sword's edge pressed lightly against her throat so he only grazed the skin. Those eyes pierced through her soul with anger. "A child here that won't kill will wish they were dead." He picked the girl up by the neck and carried her into the forest. There, open, were then steel doors of the underground cellar. Nothing behind those doors was even the slightest visible, even with the outside light. He threw her down into the chamber and locked the doors closed.

Kai thrust forward from her position on her bed and looked up to see a smiling Himeno. "Hello sleepy head. Having nightmares?"

"I guess you could say that…" Kai hid her shivering hand behind her back and smiled at Himeno. Then she looked past her to see Hayate standing in the doorway. _You can't find one without finding the other._ "What do you want?"

"I came to ap…pol…logize," Hayate grumbled under his breathe.

"What was that?" Kai asked with an amused grin on her face.

"I said I came to apologize and you heard me dammit!"

It was quiet for a while before Kai decided to speak again. "I'm waiting."

Hayate was expecting her smart mouthed remark and gave her a dirty look. "I'm sorry…"

---------------------------------------------------------------

"I never imagined someone like you could become so scared over something. So what was that nightmare about anyway?"

Kai closed her bedroom door behind them and they started down the hall. "I wasn't _scared._ I was surprised. There's a difference. And like I'd tell you."

"You were more than scared. You jumped up like a frightened baby," Hayate said almost laughing at the memory.

Kai remained silent for a moment, then replied, "Only when you're around."

There was a lot of chatter between Himeno and Kai. Hayate stayed silent and watched strangely at how fast the two took to each other. It didn't surprise him much. Himeno _was_ a very likeable person. "Yeah, that de ja vous thing feeling is kinda creepy. Like you're missing something you should."

"I know. I think it's one of those past life things ya know?"

"Maybe. But then again you remind me so much of this kid I used to know. Well I can't really call her kid because she was older than me but still. I used to sneak off the island and take this hidden raft out to mainland. There was this girl there that I used to hang with. Her dada was SO nice! Sort of a drunk though but I didn't want to come out and say it."

"Wait, drunk?"

"Yeah. Drinkin' in the morning….afternoon….you rarely ever see him sober. But he's extra nice when he is. Who could blame the guy though? His wife had died not too long before. They didn't really like to talk about it."

"…"

Kai looked over at the two standing behind her. The had gotten really quiet and stopped walking. "What wrong? I say something?"

"I…used to live in a house near that beach."

"….good for you," Kai said giving them weird looks. _Maybe these people are drunk. I knew no one's that cheerful all the time. And Hayate apologizing? O yeah. They're on something._

"And my mom died when I was little….and now…I remember. I knew a girl with that same name….who used to come play with me everyday until she had to leave."

Kai got wide eyed quick. "That WAS you?!"

They became all jumpy and started hugging each other, making Hayate step back. "I haven't seen you in forever!" Himeno shrieked. _She looks so different._ Once they stopped hugging, Himeno's eyes filled with curiosity. "I always wondered why you had to leave in the first place."

"Ah, I don't want to talk about it," Kai said waving off the subject. _Geez. These people ask too many questions._

----------------------------------------

Kai tossed and turned. Nearly rolling off the bed one minute, then in the middle of it the next.

It smelled of rotting flesh. Corroding bodies. She could feel them everywhere, each time she tripped over one. Nothing was visible and that's what scared her the most. She'd rather see the horrid mess than not know what was down there with her. Not only that, but the noise. It was so eerie, almost silent. Like you think you'd be imagining things that aren't there. Soft screams too low to be screams. Loud tortured cries too low to be cries. Chains clinking against each other. The constant sound of water running. The constant sound of water dripping. It was all like a surreal ghostly symphony. But the one thing the stood out the most, was the sound of moving, living things. Groaning, growling, eating, like there was someone…something, down there with her. She would lean herself against the stone wall she found and stayed in that one spot, hoping nothing would find her or happen the run into her. She was so frightened and literally going insane. Then…a voice? There was a voice calling out to her.

"Wake up, Kai," Sasame said shaking her. She, much like before, jolted upward. She then, in a frightened panic, grabbed hold of the closest thing to her. Sasame was caught off guard by her sudden action. Kai began to bury her face in his chest as her gained a tighter squeeze on his shoulders.

"They won't leave me alone," Kai whimpered between sobs.

"What won't leave you alone?"

"There are shadows in the dark. They keep getting closer."

_She's seriously afraid of the dark?_ "It's alright. There's nothing here." Sasame wrapped his arms around the frightened youth. "It was just a nightmare. You should get back to sleep."

"No!" Kai pleaded squeezing him tighter. "I'll do whatever you want. Just don't leave."

Sasame lifted a hand and began to stroke her hair. "It's alright. I'm going to stay."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

At the breakfast table, the Knights were their old cheerful selves. They were even happier to see Kai eating with them again. She usually ate in her room by herself. Sasame tried his best to carry on a normal conversation. He was a bit tired though. "What's wrong, Sasame? Did you get a good night's sleep?" Goh asked concerned.

"O, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"That's not like you not to get a good night's rest. You even went to sleep _early_ last night," Kei stated a little suspicious.

Sasame glanced over at Kai quickly, who was trying her best to avoid looking at him. She was obviously embarrassed. _Great. It's my fault. _

"Really, Kei. You make too much out of nothing. Curiosity _did_ kill the cat after all."

"Cut the crap, Sasame," Hayate interjected. "I heard you comforting that crybaby over there all night."

The rest of the Knights stopped what they were doing to listen in on the conversation. Kai glared at him from the corners of her eyes. Her teeth instantly cringed together. "I don't know what you mean," Sasame responded calmly. _Don't say it…please don't say it…_

"Kai was having a nightmare and since Sasame is such a light sleeper, it was keeping him up. So he went in there to stop her from tossing around and she starts crying like 'shadows in the dark' or some crap like that."

Sasame sighed. _I knew he was going to say it…_

Kai stopped glaring at him, death in her eyes. _Then jumped over the table and began choking him on the floor._ Or at least that's how it played out in her mind. Instead she stood up so fast, her chair fell back. "I'm not that hungry," Kai spoke in a low voice before stomping off to her room.

Everyone stared at Hayate. "What?" he shrugged.

Himeno punched him in the arm. Rather hard I might add. "Now look what you did! Go apologize!"

"I'm not going to apologize because she overly sensitive," Hayate said crossing his arms.

Himeno punched him in the arm again. "I said go!"

"Alright! Alright!" Hayate got up from his seat.

cough"whipped"cough Mannen joked. Hajime and Shin laughed. Himeno ,however, kept a stern expression and Hayate marched up to Kai's room.

----------------------------------------------------------

Kai sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her sword she dug up from under her bed.

Kai could see a light. Nothing around her was visible except that light. It was outside! She tripped and scraped her arm on the cobblestone stairs trying to run to it. She didn't know how long the doors would stay open but she wanted out. Once she reached the doors, she threw herself onto the green grass. The sun nearly blinded her. She had been down there so long, she lost track. Not too long after she had come out, something had yanked her into the air. She looked into the deep blue eyes of her father and it scared her tremendously. "Have a nice vacation? To be honest, I thought you'd be dead by now. Girls don't really tend to survive down there." He grinned at her, then dropped her to the floor. "I hope you've been thinking about what I said." He handed the child her obviously well kept sword. She grabbed it with a feeble grip. "Now, you either kill, or you go back." Kai kept her eyes fixed on her sword. Her grip strengthened around its cover. She then held its handle and quickly pulled off its cover. "Just tell me who."

Kai could see them. All of them. They reflected in the bit of the blade uncovered. Each face of every person she killed to stay out of that cellar. Then came a knock at the door, interrupting her thoughts. "What is it?" she asked, kicking her sword back under her bed. She already knew who it was because the brute knocked so hard. He walked in, only to be greeted by her cold stare from her bedside.

"I came up here to apologize…again."

"It's fine. Just leave."

"But…while I'm up here…I've got to talk to you about something…"

Kai's eyes filled with surprised curiosity. "What is it?"

To Be Continued!!!! Muahahahahahahaaaa! Don't you just hate it when people do that. Lol!


	5. Words Gone Unspoken

**Two Much:**Words Gone Unspoken

"I'm just now realizing that I shouldn't have said that."

"Ya think?"

Hayate ignored his urge to leave and continued. "It's because I'm angry at you-"

"For what?!"

"It's not your fault now can you stop interrupting?!" Kai closed her mouth while Hayate sat at her desk chair. "That island where you lived, a long time ago, I lived there too." Kai looked at him oddly but resisted the urge to interrupt in fear of his violent outburst. "You wouldn't have known, because I wasn't allowed to talk to you or your brother. Not that you didn't know I was there. But I'm-…your brother."

"…"

"Well, half brother."

"Okaay…what?"

"I said-!"

"You can't be my…brother…you look nothing like me."

"I said half! Listen!"

"…"

"The reason I hate…ed…you so much was because a long time ago when you were probably three at the most? Our…your…father chose you, your mother, and brother, over my mother and I. He denied being with my mother and disowned me. Even though it was obvious that I would be an even greater warrior than your brother, he didn't care. Instead of becoming the heir to his head position, he banished my mother and I from the clan and island because affairs were frowned upon by the elders."

"…"

"I remembered seeing you before we left. You look so different, but in a way…exactly the same. You just smiled and waved at me. You didn't even know what was going on but it still made me hate you." Hayate sighed and made an attempt to move his bangs from his face. He looked at Kai with those fierce deep blue eyes of his.

_You…look just like him._

"However, I know now that I'm hating the wrong person for the wrong reasons and I'm sorry. I'm over it now. After I left that island I came into realization of my own power passed on to me by the diminished Knight of Wind. And I became the Knight of Wind. When we run _completely_ out of lefae we can't reincarnate. Instead the Knight in astro form chooses whom to take his place."

"So…you're…my…_half-_brother?"

"Are you not listening?" Hayate sighed and slumped back into the chair.

"I am! Really. It's just weird."

"Yeah, well, that's just how it is alright?"

"Okay, but…I'm not going to listen to you. You may be my brother, but you're not my dad."

"I'm not asking you to," Hayate responded, walking toward the door.

"I'm not going to be any nicer to you either."

"Again, I'm not asking you to." Hayate opened the door but felt Kai hug him from behind. "What the-"

"Thanks…"

Kai squeezed her hands tighter around his waist, or at least as far as they'd go. Hayate didn't really expect something like that, especially from her. He patted her on the head. "No problem," he stated with an odd smile.

Kai looked up at him and quickly let go. "I never really wanted a brother. They're nothing but trouble and too much of it. I wanted an older sister. So when you and Himeno get married I can have one," Kai said walking down the hall.

"…Wait, what?!" Hayate shouted after her. He followed close behind.

"I was just saying. I mean you're _always_ together and _always_ touching each other like no one else notices. It's sickening."

Hayate blushed from embarrassment. "Whatever…" _I swear. One minute she hates me and the next? Weird. But…_Hayate glanced down at her now cheerful face. _She looks so happy now. _"You still hungry?"

"Nah, I've gone a while without food before. It's no biggie now."

"Your father didn't feed you?"

Kai noticed how he kept from saying our father or just plain father, but she didn't say anything about it. "Yeah, I ate at home…but…you know what happens when you get in trouble right," Kai said with a bit of a laugh.

"How much trouble," Hayate asked glaring at her from the corners of his eyes. _Don't tell me…_

"Oh no! Nothing serious," Kai lied. "Just when I wouldn't do so well in the arts."

"Oh…" _For a second there I thought she meant they put he down…**there**. Then again, that would explain why she's so afraid of the dark. Not many people come back up from there. _Hayate dismissed his thoughts and began asking her things he always wanted to but couldn't. "So, why were you practicing the arts. Was your brother not good enough?"

"Pff! No! If that baby would have did it than I wouldn't have had to. Father didn't take any…extreme measures with him because that was his only son." Kai purposely neglected to state Hayate as his son since she didn't think he'd like it very much.

"Only son?"

"Yeah. After him he kept having girls. It was so sad. My mother would cry every time she had another girl because he knew father would kill it. I had to convince him that I'd teach Mao under the sword just so he would off her too."

"…Oh."

"Ah, Don't be so sad about it."

"What?"

"Yeah, I mean, I know it's sad and everything but we're all going to die eventually. Sooner or later is just a matter of how long you feel like waiting."

"Well that's a bad way to look at it-"

"But I'm right. Back at home, the ones that feared for their lives so much died first."

"So you're not afraid of death?"

"What's there to be afraid of? You die, you're gone. At peace for the rest of forever."

"So you _want_ to die."

"O don't be crazy now! Of course not! It's just a matter of acknowledging the truth. And the truth is, we're all going to die."

Hayate was confused. On the outside, she seemed like such a lively person. But on the inside she held onto such dismal beliefs. "You shouldn't worry about death at such a young age."

"Are you serious? Coming from where I, we lived? Death is like an every day, week at the most, thing. I'm sure you know what its like to see them. Or do you just kill creatures?"

Hayate ignored her question. "So you were a soldier?"

Kai looked sad for about a moment, ignoring his question. Hayate sensed she didn't want to talk about it so he dropped the question.

"So, one more thing I wanted to ask?"

"Yeah," she asked, her eyes lighting up again.

"I know, the clan didn't leave that island. They wouldn't. So what happened?"

"Well if I don't tell you, you'll probably go and check it out yourself won't you?" Hayate nodded his head slightly in agree. "They're all dead," she said just as monotonously as her first statement.

"E-everyone?"

"_Every…last…one,_" Kai said emphasizing each word.

There was an awkward silence for a while. "The other Knights are probably outside. We should go before they, Sasame, get all worried." Kai laughed and followed him down the stairs.


	6. First Meeting

**Two Much:** First Meeting

Kai walked outside and plopped down on the grass beside Goh. "So what are you doing out here, just sitting around?"

"Sasame's going to sing to us," Hajime said waiting expectantly like a cheerful toddler.

"Wait, I didn't say I would-"

"I didn't know you sing, Sasame."

"Well he _is_ the Knight of sound, dimwit," Mannen said with a grin.

"Oh, that's real insulting coming from an idiot with half his brain frozen."

"I swear, the way you bark off at people. It's hard to determine whether you're a guy or a girl."

"Wow, thought that up yourself? And here I was thinking brain dead people couldn't function."

"God, you sound like an old married couple. Cut it out," Goh interrupted.

"SHUT UP!!!" both teens shouted while rubbing Goh's face in the grass.

Kai looked over at Mannen and shoved his face in the grass too. "You shut up too." Then she turned to give Sasame a warm smile. "Go ahead Sasame, I want to hear that beautiful voice of yours."

Sasame blushed a bit. "It's not that great."

"Yes it is!" Himeno chirped.

"Yeah, stop being so modest and sing for us Sasame."

Sasame looked down at his feet for a moment. "Fine."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Kai rested her chin up against her folded arms as she looked up at the beautiful songbird. Mannen looked over Goh, at Kai, whose eyes were fixed on Sasame with a small smile on her face. _Does she…like Sasame? Figures. She's always with him. They look like they're having fun a lot of the time. It wouldn't be much of a surprise. At least not to me anyway. Sasame's the type of guy that knows everything about girls, except when they like him. I guess it's funny in a way._ Mannen mindlessly let his eyes wander from her placid face to…well…the rest of her. His thoughts (which I won't be typing out! Naughty Knight) were interrupted when he felt Goh nudge him with his elbow. He looked over at Goh who held a sheepish grin on his face. "Get your mind out of the gutter," Mannen muttered only low enough for him to hear.

"I was just about to tell you the same thing," Goh snickered.

Mannen turned red slightly and looked away. _Great. Goh has a big mouth. Now everyone's going to think I'm a pervert._

During mid-chorus, Sasame stopped singing. Kai snapped out of her dazed look of serenity. "What's wrong?"

"I think I hear someone arguing," Sasame said looking over in the direction of the courtyard.

"Maybe it's one of the gardeners," Himeno said giving it no further thought.

"I don't think so. It doesn't sound like anyone I've heard around here before."

Kai stood up. "Well if it's that big of a deal to you, we can always go check it out."

----------------------------------------------------

"Stop shouting you idiot. If they spot us, they'll send off the alarm. We don't need trouble this early. Do you want mother to be angry?" one of the women spoke in a calm, cold, yet collected tone.

"So what?! Let's just get the stuff now and get on our way. We're wasting time!"

"We're taking our time. Besides, I don't think we can stay in here for that much longer. The barrier is beginning to suck us back out. We only came to find where it is."

"Who are you?" Kei asked, interrupting their quarrel.

The two women looked over at the group nearby. The louder one slapped her own face disappointedly. "Great. She's going to be so angry," she muttered.

"Who?" Sasame asked picking up on her comment.

"Excuse our rudeness," the other women spoke with a faint smile. "My name is Takata, and this is my sister Kana. We're…lost, you might say."

"State your last names, positions and I.D numbers or risk violence," Hayate warned.

"What?! Who do you think you're talking to-"

"Quiet," Takata said, placing a hand over Kana's mouth. "We came to introduce ourselves. I…we, are the daughters of your dearest Princess of Disaster. We seek revenge on the pretear and knights." Then her eyes wandered over to Kai. "There's only one pretear. Who are you?"

Kai raised a brow at her. "No one important."

Kai didn't seem at all phased. The rest of the knights were, however, stunned and angered. "Takako had children?…"

"I suggest you two intruders leave at once," Kei suggested while keeping his calm composure.

"That is fine. We will respect your wishes…for now." With those final words, the two disappeared.

"Weeell that was weird," Kai sighed. But no one seemed to share that confused emotion.

----------------------------------------------------

"Why'd you just leave like that?! Either leave anonymous or stay with a name and kill the bastards! Now they're going to be on high alert for sure! Why'd you do that?!"

"There's more than one way to skin a rat and I plan to make it bleed."

"…So what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I know what I'm doing so please stop talking."

------------------------------------------------------------

Kei entered the lounge where the Knights sat on couches around the fireplace. "We're now on high alert," he informed.

"Good," Goh said, gesturing for the tired Knight to have a seat.

"So why didn't you just kill them right then and there?" Kai asked after knowing the situation.

"It's not that easy, alright. Think before you talk."

"O, please. I've dealt with people bigger than tha-," Kai quickly shut her mouth. _I really should think before I talk._

The rest of the knights looked at her. "Dealt with?"

"What? Don't look at me like that. It's not like I did anything SERIOUS," she lied. Sasame raised a brow at her for a second, then returned to his original thoughts.

It grew quiet once more. Himeno tilted her head onto Hayate's shoulder. Kai looked over at them both. A small grin spread across her face. Hayate turned red a little and silently mouthed the words "shut up". Kai raised to her feet and yawned. The quiet tension in the room was beginning to get to her. She noticed a row of albums on a shelf hanging over the fireplace. She grabbed them all and returned to her seat on the couch. She kept one in her lap and placed the others on the floor in front of her. She began flipping through it for her own amusement. There was a picture of Goh, Kei, Sasame, and Hayate in the rose garden outside. They were all so small and covered in dirt from gardening. Hayate looked so happy. They all did. There were more pictures of them as children with the older knights of earth, water, and ice watching after them. Sasame looked over with a small smile on his face.

"You're the first one in forever to take those down to look at," Sasame said as she flipped over another page. It was a picture of Sasame crying and a man hovering over Hayate while he sat in the corner facing the wall. They were in their regular clothing so she couldn't tell who the man was.

"He's kinda hot. Who's that? Hajime? Shin?"

"That's Mannen," Sasame laughed while flipping back to the page with the man in his knight of ice uniform. Everyone else laughed while Mannen turned bright red.

Kai looked at the album surprised. "Be for real, Sasame."

"I'm not lying," Sasame said continuing to laugh. Kai quickly flipped the page.

"Ha ha ha," Mannen said in a sarcastic tone. "Just laugh it up."

"Woa," Kai said. Her eyes widened and she started giggling under her breath. Sasame looked over to see why she was laughing. His face went hot red.

"Time to move on to a different one," Sasame said reaching for the album but Kai pulled it out of his reach.

"Well isn't that just the cutest thing!"

"What is it?" Shin asked curiously.

Before Sasame could stop her, Kai held the album open for everyone else to. Mannen, Hajime, and Shin fell over with laughter while the other knight went red. It was a picture of the knight children naked. They looked as if they had just been out in the garden because they were running away from Shin and Hajime, obviously avoiding a shower. Which means Mannen had to have taken it. Goh snatched it out of her hands, took the picture, and burned it with the flick of a finger. "Aww, why'd you do that? You're burning memories."

"I think I'll live," he responded, closing the album and placing it on the end table.

Kai looked through the second one, which were the knights in their teen years, then moved on to the third. It was a bit old but not that old. "Aww, Shin and Hajime look so cute!" Hajime was trying to fix Shin's oversized hat, while Himeno helped Shin off the floor. The two blushed while Shin managed to pipe out a feeble thank you. It wasn't tense anymore. It felt warm and enjoyable.

-----------------------------------------------------


	7. Side Story

**(Lidia**-If I name the chapter side story, it's because nothing major (important) happened that day. It's just…life. But I will probably reference it so you should still read! Don't whine!)

**The Legendary Knight:** Side story

Kai ran up and jumped on Sasame's back. He almost fell forward but straightened himself. "Hey. Don't surprise me like that."

Kai wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to one side of his face. "I'm bored, Sasame. I can't even stay in my room by myself. They don't want anyone to be walking around alone during this red alert or high alert thing."

"High alert."

"Who cares? The important thing is that I have nothing to do."

"You can help Kei with work."

"Work? No way!"

"You can come with me to work."

"You work?"

"Yes, I do."

"Oh. Alright. I don't have to walk, do I?"

"I'd appreciate it."

"Then I guess that means no! Now walk!"

Sasame sighed and walked down the path leading out of lefaenia.

-

After about two hours, Sasame walked out of the radio room. "I hope I didn't take that long. I-" Sasame looked down at her. She was curled up over the armrest of the couch, sleeping. Her mouth was partially open, revealing those pearly with teeth of hers, and she had the same curly strip of hair hanging in her peaceful face. Sasame didn't really want to wake her up. _I guess we should get going._ Sasame softly rubbed her shoulder. "Kai, Get up."

Kai rubbed her eyes, then looked at him with half open eyes. "I fell asleep? I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Sasame smiled while helping her up. "Climb on," Sasame said mostly lifting her onto his back since she was too tired to jump. "Are you hungry?" Kai nodded her head. "Good. We're stopping by the restaurant where Goh and Mannen work to eat.

"Kay," Kai replied softly.

-

"Hey, guys. What are you doing here?" Goh greeted with a smile.

"Why else would we be here?" Kai asked sarcastically as she took her seat. She was now wide awake. "I'm hungry." They seated themselves in the outside section.

"They gave me the day shift at the radio station today," Sasame explained.

"Oh. In that case, I'll bring you guys something out."

"I thought Mannen worked here too."

"He does, he's the busboy." Goh pointed over toward Mannen who was angrily wiping down a table. Kai almost laughed. Goh walked back inside the restaurant.

Then a few girls sitting at a table not too far away caught her eye. They were all giggly and quite loud about it. Then she saw one of the girls purposely knock her drink over. "So _that's_ why he's so angry."

Sasame turned in his chair a bit to see what she was talking about. "O, yeah. Mannen complains about them a lot. They come every other day and knock things over on purpose just so he can go over there." Kai couldn't hold it in anymore. She began laughing hysterically.

Mannen turned around to see where that familiar noise was coming from. _Kai?_ Her and Sasame were seated at a table not too far away.

"Hey Manny-baby, you missed a spot," one of the girls giggled.

_This job is so degrading._ He sighed in annoyance and continued cleaning up their mess.

Goh brought them some food and drinks about five minutes later, which was enough time for Mannen to clean their mess, twice. "I feel kind of sorry for him," Kai said to Sasame as Goh walked away.

"Yes, but it's his job. He can't just, not, clean up the mess. Even if they _did_ do it on purpose."

Kai waited for Mannen to finally finish cleaning the drink from the floor. Then she smirked at Sasame. "What?" he asked as if he were missing something.

She grabbed her cup and turned it over, dumping every last bit of her lemonade onto a section of the table and some on the floor. "Oops." Now Sasame wanted to laugh. "Hey, Mannen!" Kai called out. He turned around to see the mess she made. Mannen sighed, now more with relief, before walking over there. "It was an accident," Kai said with the most innocent look on her face.

"Well thanks." Mannen took his time now while cleaning. He was talking more than cleaning.

Once the girls noticed he finished, the other one called out. "Hey Manny-baby! You missed a spot!"

Kai got an annoyed expression on her face. They had just cut her off in the middle of a conversation. She grabbed what was left of Sasame's drink and dumped it out on the table. Then she shouted at the two girls, "_Manny-baby_ is BUSY!" The two girls obviously caught an attitude and left. "I swear, sometimes you just have to be mean with people like that." Sasame and Mannen just stared at her. "Stop staring, it's rude. And _you_ should clean that up." After a little while more, Sasame and Kai decided to leave. Goh and Mannen would see them at home in a little while.

-

Not too far away from the house, something popped into Kai's head. She immediately stopped walking. "That's it. I can't believe I forgot it!"

Sasame looked at her oddly. "What is it?"

Kai's face went red slightly. She was a little embarrassed to ask. "I sort of, forgot something…back at home."

"Well that's where we're heading now-"

"I meant _my_ home. The island."

"Oh." Sasame paused while she stared at her feet. "You want me to take you back so you can get it?"

Kai nodded. "Unless it's too much trouble, then you don't have to," Kai quickened, while finally looking up at Sasame. Her face turned even redder when she saw the surprised look on his face. She looked back down at her feet. "It's not that important anyway. Just forget it." _Great. I look like a childish idiot. I'm embarrassing myself._

"It must be that important to you if you brought it up," Sasame smiled. "It's not late. We can go now."

Kai looked up with a happy smile and a reddened face. _I know he's going to ask what it is when we get there…_Sasame pointed out the direction and they started on their walk. Sasame led her to a desolate area. "What are we doing here?"

"You didn't think we were going to walk all the way there did you?" Sasame asked with a smirk on his face. Before she could answer, he hoisted her off her feet and took off into the air. She blushed a bright red as she flew, cradled in his arms. After a long while, which seemed like forever to Kai, they reached the island. Kai quickly removed herself from Sasame's hold a few inches before they even landed on the floor. "Something wrong?"

"No. I'm just in a rush. I want to hurry before it gets dark."

"Take your time. We've got plenty of it."

Sasame covered his nose in disgust of the smell. Rotting flesh lay all around. Kai walked up to her old dwelling. She walked up the stairs with Sasame trailing close behind. She paused in front of Mao's bedroom door. She wanted so badly to see her again, but not like this. She was dead now. Kai continued down the hall to her room. She cracked open the door and slid in, insisting Sasame wait in the hall. What she had come there for, were two photo's double framed, sitting in her windowsill. One was of her, Mao, and her mother, when her and Mao were younger. The other was of her and Mao just last year. By that time, her mother had died as her father informed her when the clan first attacked while she and Mao were away. They hadn't sent much people, and mostly only managed to kill some of the women. Yet, looking at it made her feel happy. She didn't want to tell Sasame what it was because she thought he'd find it childish, just like her fear of the dark. She grabbed the black scarf from her closet that she used to tie her hair back on midnight assassinations, and wrapped the frame in it. Kai quickly stuffed it down her shirt before rejoining Sasame in the hall.

_She probably won't like if I ask._ "You got everything?"

Kai looked at him nervously. "Uh, yeah." They walked outside in silence until Kai spoke again. "Sasame?"

"Yes?"

"I was just thinking, since we're here…"

"Are you forgetting something?"

"No. It's just, you _did_ ask _why_ I was…afraid of the dark. And I thought since we were already here, I could show you why."

Sasame became overwhelmed with curiosity. He followed her into the wood. The farther they walked, the less rancid the smell. Until they reached a pair of metal double doors leading underground. The chains were laying aside on the ground. "What is it? A basement?"

"An old cellar," she replied while opening the door.

Sasame saw that the cellar was pitch black, so it gave the illusion that there were shadows moving around. The sound was disturbing and it smelled worse down there than back by the homes. "You went down there?"

"I was thrown down there when I seven. Stayed down there for about a month. Two maybe."

"A two months, with that thing down there?"

"Yeah." Once the smell began to get to her, she let the door fall closed.

"You don't seem phased by all of this."

"O, I'm fine during the day. We should probably leave now."

-

"'Night," Himeno waved as she walked into her room.

"Good night," Kai smiled while closing her door. Then she sighed. _I'm just remembering how that girl can talk up a storm. _Kai walked over and set the frame on the end table beside her bed, then went to sleep. _Perfect. Feels like home already._

-

"SASAME!" Hayate shouted from the top of his lungs. Which happened to be pretty loud.

Sasame winced at the loud boom so early in the morning. He lifted his head from his pillow with eyes half open. "Yes, Hayate?" By this time, Goh and Mannen had come to see why the normally _passive yet cranky_ Hayate was making such a commotion. Then they saw why and went wide-eyed. "W…what is it?" Sasame asked, turning to see what they were looking at. There, sleeping through the noise, was Kai, just inches away from him. In shock, he fell out of bed, and landed on his bottom.

Hayate reached over and shook her shoulder violently. "Get up!"

Kai's eyes opened half way. As soon as she saw those dark blue eyes, she frowned. "Who is it this time? Can it not wait until the morning?" Kai rolled over and pulled the cover over her head in an attempt to go back to sleep. Hajime, Shin, Kei, and Himeno had now noticed the commotion. "Five more minutes dad."

"Dad?" Mannen said, ready to laugh.

"I said get up!" Hayate shouted, now angrier.

"Fine, fine, where's my sword?" Kai began reaching under the bed looking for it, until she lazily fell off it and landed on her face. She quickly sat up and blinked a few times. Hayate now broke away from his angry face and look at her oddly. "What? Why are you all staring at me?" Then she noticed whose room she was in. "Oh…"

"What do you mean _Oh_. What the hell are you doing in here! Sasame, why was she sleeping in your bed?"

"Calm down. It's not that serious. It isn't what it looks like." She stood up and unwrinkled her pajama pants. "I tend to sleep walk from time to time." Everyone gave her blank looks. "Well it's true. Ugh, whatever. If you don't believe me, fine. I took advantage of Sasame in his sleep. You choose what you'd rather believe." She walked passed them to her room. _That was so embarrassing. Great, now I'm going to end up waking up in a closet somewhere. Damn sleep walking!_


	8. Big Brother

**(Lidia-**I'm sorry I took so long! I'm sort of grounded at the moment so ya know. It' hard. Lol. But I put up two as an apology so be thankful! Later.)

**The Legendary Knight:** Big Brother

"I'm sorry, Sasame," Kai apologized as she sat up against the bench.

"Don't be."

"But I should be. Last week, I woke up on Goh's floor. Then under Shin's bed. I think I may have scared him. It's embarrassing." Sasame stared at her for a while, then began laughing. "What's so funny!"

"It's nothing, really," Sasame sighed, letting his laughs die off.

Kai absentmindedly rested her head on Sasame's shoulder. "Why are you so nice? It's a little weird."

"What? Did you not know any other nice people back at home?"

"The nicest person there was my mom and my sister. And even they aren't as freakishly nice as you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Kai sat up once more with a bright smile on her face. "I want to show you something," Kai said while tugging at his sleeve.

"What is it," he grinned in curiosity.

"Just c'mon."

"I'm not moving until you tell me what it is."

Meanwhile, Mannen and Hajime were tossing the ball Goh got them in the field. Hayate was lying on the grass a few feet away from them.

"I think Shin's having nightmares again."

"What makes you say that?" Mannen asked while throwing the ball back.

"He said there was something breathing under his bed. When I went to look, there was nothing there."

"Sometimes I think Shin's still such a baby." Mannen's boredom grew as he scanned the area in his most dazed expression. Then he noticed Kai trying to pull Sasame off the bench by his arm. Kai pulled too hard and fell back on the floor. Mannen smirked for a while. Then the ball hit him in the face.

"That's not funny," Kai whined. Sasame finally stood to extend a hand. Once she was on her feet, Sasame sighed. "Fine, I'll take a look at it."

"No, no. It's fine. Forget about it."

"Is it that picture of your sister and mother you brought back the other day?"

Kai grabbed him by the ear. "What were you doing in my room?"

"Relax. You just happened to leave the door open and I just happened to see it."

Kai let go of his ear and grabbed him by the arm. "Fine. Then come gardening with me after we find Himeno."

"Do I really have a choice?" Sasame said as he was being pulled along.

"Kai."

Kai halted and turned around to see who called her. "Hey, Hayate."

"I have to talk to you," Hayate said in a stern tone before walking back toward the building. She let go of Sasame and followed close behind as Hayate led her into an empty hall. Once they got there Hayate stared down at her with his ever stern expression.

"Yes?"

"I don't want you hanging around Sasame so often anymore."

Kai paused as if she hadn't heard what he just said. "You don't want me to what?"

"You heard me."

"Since when do you decide what I should and shouldn't do?"

"Ever since you decided to stay here."

"Are you going to give me a reason why?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Kai looked at him like he was crazy. "Is this because _you_ don't want me to or is there something wrong with Sasame?"

"No and no. You wouldn't understand."

Kai became irritated and tried walking away but Hayate stopped her. "What now?"

"You didn't tell him, did you?"

"Tell him what?"

"That I'm your-"

"Brother? No, I didn't. Should I not?"

"Well, it's embarrassing. I don't want everyone to know."

"You don't have to worry about me telling anyone. I wouldn't want people to know that I'm related to someone that finds me embarrassing. After all, you're not my brother, you're my half-brother. Or am I wrong?" Kai pushed passed him and walked back outside before Hayate could open his mouth. Even if he did open his mouth, what would he say? As she walked out, Mannen walked in.

"You sure have a way with words," Mannen grinned.

"How much did you hear?"

"A little."

"How much is a little."

"All of it."

"You eavesdropped on my conversation!"

"For it to be a conversation, it would have had to been a little less one-sided."

"Don't lecture me on how I should talk to my own sis-…" Hayate trailed off.

"What was that? Go ahead. Say it."

"Shut up."

"So that's what that whole Sasame thing was about? You're just looking after you little sister. You know she likes Sasame as more than a friend but Sasame's not going to feel the same way. You don't want her to end up like Takako."

"I said shut up, Mannen."

"I'm right aren't I? You're angry because I'm right."

"I'm not angry."

"Yes you are."

"If anything, I'm angry because you keep saying _you're angry._"

"…So that means you are." Mannen almost laughed, but now decided to take on a more serious tone. "You should go out there and apologize."

"For what!"

"For what you said."

"I don't see anything wrong with what I said."

"Are you really that much of an idiot. You hurt her feelings. You're practically the only family that hasn't moved out on her. And you forbid her to see Sasame."

"She can still see him. Just not so often."

"She's just going to be with him more."

"Then I'll-"

"You'll what, Hayate. Hit her? I doubt it. Go ahead. Take a peek outside."

Hayate raised a brow at Mannen, but did what was told. Kai was, again, linked to Sasame's arm as they walked away. Mannen peeked around the corner as well. "I was right. Again."

"Mannen-"

"The best you could probably do is tag along. _And_ apologize."

-

"So what did Hayate want?" Sasame asked, full of curiosity.

"Nothing important," she replied coldly. Then she sighed. "I'm bored. Where's Himeno? Is she coming out?"

"She's helping Kei out with something."

"Oh. Can we go back outside? I'm dying here."

"We are outside."

"I mean outside Lefaenia."

"O, sure."

"I hope you don't mind if we tag along." Mannen slapped a friendly hand on Hayate's back. Hayate seemed annoyed.

_I told that brat to stay here. I told him it won't seem suspicious if I go alone. _

"Sure. The more, the better," Sasame replied.

Kai just stared at the two. _I hope they don't think I'm stupid. But then again…_ "Yeah, sure, we don't mind. At least I won't be so bored." _I'll just annoy the hell out of him._ Kai grinned to herself._ He'll never think about tagging along again._ "This is going to be fun."

-

"I'm pretty sure you can walk on your own!" Hayate shouted.

"Aw, but we've been walking all day and I'm tired. Besides, someone as big and strong as you shouldn't mind. I can always ask Sasame to carry me."

Hayate muttered a few curses under his breath, then sighed. "Fine…"

Mannen couldn't stop laughing. "What's up with those two? Does Kai like Hayate?" Sasame whispered to his tearful friend. _This certainly is weird. It's just not like him._

"Like Hayate?" Mannen burst out into even more laughter.

"What's going on, Mannen?" Sasame asked in a more stern tone. "Kai's been toying with Hayate all day." Hayate and Kai were a few feet ahead so they couldn't hear Mannen and Sasame's conversation.

Mannen suddenly got nervous and shut his mouth. _Jeez! If I say something, Hayate is going to wring my neck._ "What are you talking about?"

"Don't act dumb, now out with it."

"It's really not my place to say. Ask them." Mannen pointed over to the loud arguing duo.

Sasame walked a little faster to catch up with them. "Hey, you guys. There's a beach coming up. We should take a little rest there before heading back home. It will get dark soon.

Kai smiled widely in agreement. Hayate sat a few long feet away from them on the sand. He was so aggravated he didn't want to be near anyone at the moment. Kai yawned widely and looked up at the sky. "I used to come here a lot when I was a kid. After that…we only came on _business_ trips with my father."

"Your father had a job outside the clan?"

"No."

"Then what kind of business did he come here to do?"

Kai thought a while before she opened her mouth to say something else. "Eh, nothing important."

Sasame looked at her oddly when she hesitated to answer the question but he had a different question to ask. "So, do you mind telling me what's going on? I mean, Hayate doesn't exactly look like he wants to be here so why would he join us?"

"Ask him. Apparently, I'm not supposed to run my mouth without _Master Hayate's_ permission." Kai sighed and looked past Sasame, over to the brute laying on the ground. _I don't try to be mean. You just make me SO angry you inconsiderate bas-_

"For a second there I thought you liked him," Sasame sighed. "I guess I was crazy for thinking that."

Kai could feel her hair stand on end. "That's disgusting! He's my brother for Christ sakes!"

Sasame's eyes narrowed at Kai as she quickly shut her mouth. "He's, you're brother?"

"Surrogate brother! You know what I meant!" Kai said in a pretend reaction. _Damn it._

Sasame, however, wasn't buying it. "O, I think I do know what you meant. So that's why Hayate didn't kill you when you jumped on his back and insulted him the entire way here."

Kai sighed. "Whatever," was all she could manage to say. Before Sasame could open his mouth to ask another question, he was interrupted by the sound of someone calling Kai's name.

"Kaisho Haritanzu!"

Kai was a bit surprised by the sudden shout out. She turned away from the tide to see who it was. Her eyes widened, but soon furrowed in anger. "Yuki Seiko."

"I see you recognize me. Long time no see." The boy seemed pleased by her expression of anger. He mussed his hand through his rich blonde hair and looked at her with eyes like crystals. "I missed you SO much."

"Is this a friend of yours?" Sasame asked. Hayate now had his gaze fixed on the young man.

"I guess you could say that."

"You guess? Now that's no way to talk to me after so many months."

Kai reached down to her side for her sword, then remembered, she stopped carrying it. _Damn it!_ "Go away, Yuki," Kai said before laying back down on the sand. _The worst is done. It's not worth it. _"He's not important so don't pay the bastard any attention."

Sasame remained alert but pretended to dismiss his presence while Hayate reluctantly followed suit. Yuki walked over to stand beside Kai, who caught sight of his grinning face staring down at her. "We missed you during our last visit. Although I can't say your absence didn't make things easier. Mao wasn't quite as good as you but I managed." Glared at him with, now, even angrier eyes than before. Sasame glanced over toward Kai, then back at Yuki.

"I would appreciate it if you left," Sasame warned the man.

Yuki now acknowledged the other three present. "And who are you?"

"They're friends of mine," Kai replied before Sasame could.

Yuki knelt down beside Kai and now spoke in a low voice. "Now you know I can't leave you here. Now your father made my father a promise. Made me a promise. I know you remember. So say bye to your friends, and come with me."

"You sure talk a lot for a guy traveling by himself. You're still the same. Cocky and stupid."

"Get up," Yuki whispered harshly as he gripped her wrist.

"I suggest you let go of her," Hayate said, his grip increasing in force around the back of Yuki's neck. Yuki was quick to let go. "I don't know who you are, but for now on, when you see her, you pretend like you don't know her. Got it?"

Hayate let go of Yuki as Kai stood. "Well it seems like you've been doing well. You're no good to me deflowered."

"You perv. No I'm not. And I don't like you. What ever promises you made with my father don't concern me. Sasame, Hayate, Mannen, I want to go home."

As they began to walk away, Yuki spoke again. "Maybe I'll see you again then. For a duel. If I win, I get you. If you win, you get my life…"

"Not interested."

"…and your mother."

Kai halted in her tracks. "You liar."

"Now have I ever lied to you?"

Kai thought about it. It was true. No matter how much of a bastard he was, he wasn't a liar. "She died."

"She disappeared. We didn't kill her, yet. She is getting a little old. No fun keeping a hag around. The only thing keeping me from killing her is the idea that you'll be taking her place soon."

Kai made an attempt to run back at Yuki but Mannen enclosed his arms around her. "Leave!" Hayate shouted in a deeply angry tone.

Yuki smirked and began to walk off. At the same time, Kai was being dragged off by Mannen back to Lefaenia.


	9. Tears of Blood

**The Legendary Knight**-Tears of Blood

"I have been assigned to keep you company."

"I don't need a baby-sitter! I think they did a pretty good job of making sure I don't go anywhere." Kai glanced over at her ice-covered window, which only seemed to make her angrier.

The servant in the room stepped forward, a bit more. "I overheard what happened. It's sad."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Aren't you in the least bit sad?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Kai snapped. She glanced over at the picture sitting in the inner windowsill. "If you're just here to keep an eye on me than do that, but don't talk to me."

The woman walked over and sat down a foot away from Kai. "They locked you in here, because you planned to meet with Yuki, am I correct?" Kai's angry eyes slowed in her direction. "You want to get your mother back. Tell me, do you have any other family?" Kai just kept staring at her. "So you're alone. You hate being alone. Is that why you sleep walk. Because you fear being alone. So you sleep in the rooms with others. It makes you want to cry doesn't it."

Kai finally looked away from her. "I said stop talking."

"It's wrong of them to lock you in here like this. They won't let you do anything for your mother. You came here voluntarily. Yet against your demands, they won't let you leave. I know I shouldn't say this…"

Kai looked at her with curiosity. "Say what?"

"There's an emergency hatch under the bed floor board. We maintain it incase we need to evacuate the palace. It leads directly onto the path leading out of Lefaenia.

Kai looked at her oddly. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're not the first person to have a mother who the Lefae Knights will do nothing for." Before Kai could say anything more, she was interrupted. "Go, before they come to check on you. I'll leave and say you are sleeping." The woman closed the door.

Kai changed into a set of black clothes in her closet, tied her hair in a black scarf, and grabbed her sword. She took one last glance at the picture of her, her mother, and Mao then crawled under the bed to exit through the escape slide that was surely there.

-

"Weren't you supposed to tell her we'll check it out and get her mother _for_ her?" Hayate said as Shin raced back into the room.

"When I went up there to tell her," Shin began, "She wasn't there."

"She wasn't what!"

"You do realize that if she kills any of those people, she will no longer be able to be the pretear. She'll have human blood on her hands, making her impure and incapable of proceeding with her active duty," Kei explained in a bit of a panic.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Kei." Hayate slapped his face angrily. _There are people guarding the front door. How'd she slip out?_ "We have to go, now."

"Wait, Hayate!" Himeno said grabbing his wrist. "She's my friend. I'm coming too."

-

Kai swept in quietly. She had yet to use her sword. Instead, she would sneak up behind the guards and rotate their necks a bit too far, causing them to black out for what would probably be hours. She didn't want to waste too much energy on others when her main goal was in the home she now approached. This had to be it. It was the biggest. She walked right in through the front door, and surprisingly, there were no guards. No surprise attacks. Not even a maid skulking about. She slowly made her way down the main hall to the meeting room. Their home was designed much like her own. She un-strapped her sword from her waist belt and held it in her clenching fist. She entered the main room. It was well lit, and cleared of furniture, chairs, distractions. "YUKI!" There was no answer in all that was silence. _Where is that bastard…_ "YUKI!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Yuki walked in through another entrance with a small little smirk on his face. He had entered on the far side of the room. And yes it only proved more that it was a very large room. "I knew you'd come. You're alone? Where are those new friends of yours?"

"Where's my mother?"

"You already want to get to the point? But you just got here."

"I didn't come here to play games with you. Now, where is she?"

"That is just like you. Rude and short tempered. However that can be fixed. Very well. Bring in the hag." Two men entered not too far away from Yuki. Behind them in chains, was her mother. Her curly tan hair was now mangled and dirty. Her eyes were of emptiness and she looked old beyond her age. She had obviously been worked. They threw her to the floor before Yuki. Kai began walking forward but Yuki signaled her stop. "I don't want you getting too close, now. You get her, when you go through me." Yuki drew his sword from its case and stepped forward to the middle of the room.

"That's fine with me," she said following suit.

-

"Is that the best you can do! I'm not as easy as when we were twelve." Yuki charged at her. She jumped out of the way but his foot came forth and knocked her on her back. "We can stop now. I still remember my end of this deal and I don't want to kill you."

"If I loose I'll kill myself," she snapped as she raised back to her feet. She charged at him and swung her sword but it only tore his shirt. He swung his sword back onto her but she blocked it.

"Have it your way." They continued in there fight. An attempt made and an attempt blocked. Yuki became annoyed._ I'm not going to loose to a woman!_ Yuki blocked off her next attack, then turned his attention toward the two men. "Kill her."

"You need help? I didn't know you were so weak."

"Not you," Yuki grinned. Kai looked over at the two men. One of them with his sword drawn. But before she could shout the word "NO" or do anything about it, his sword came crashing down. Kai's mother let out a loud scream before her head rolled across the hard wood floor. While Kai wasn't paying attention, Yuki swung at her and tore the surface skin on her arm. She bled through the black sleeve. _I never knew the Haritanzu assassin held such emotion toward family. Not a peep when her father died but the world ends when her mother does. If she won't agree to be with me, then I'll make sure she sees her mother on the other side._

-

"I can hear her. It's coming from there!" Sasame said while leading everyone into the huge home on the hill. They rushed in, down the hall and into the main room. It was a blood-splattered mess. A woman lay dead on the floor not too far from two other slaughtered men. And there, in the middle of the floor, was Kai, positioned over Yuki. She was repeatedly driving her sword into the obviously already dead man.

"We're too late," Kei murmured.

"Kai stop it!" Himeno shrieked. It was as if they weren't even there. She pulled the blade from is torso and thrust I back in. Blood wet her face, running down her cheeks as if they were her own tears. She lifted it again, but Mannen grabbed it before it came plummeting down. Himeno didn't like the sight of so much blood. _The pretear is not supposed to take life. She's supposed to save it. Why did she do this? It wasn't worth it._

"We're leaving," Mannen said in a low tone as he pulled the sword from her grasp. "C'mon. Get up."

Kai looked up at him momentarily with eyes red as fire. It scared him but they quickly faded back to its golden hazel color. "I really don't feel so good," she spoke in a most inaudible whisper. "My stomach hurts."

"Let me see it." Mannen got over his shock and knelt down to take a look at it. By this time the others were approaching. "O my god."

"Don't touch it!"

"If I don't pull it out, it'll get worse." Mannen wrapped his fingers around the broken blade and quickly yanked it from her stomach. Mannen dropped it when it cut into his own skin. Kai shrieked and doubled over. Mannen ripped off part of his uniform and tied it around her wound. He scooped her off the floor.

-

Kai woke the next morning in her room. Mannen was slouched over in a chair, sleeping at her bedside. Then she saw Sasame hovering over her. "You're finally awake."

Kai tried to sit up but the bandages around her stomach and the sharp pain running through it stopped her. "O god that hurts."

"Don't try to sit up," Hayate spoke from the door. He approached with a scowl on his face. "I thought I told you to stay here. Because you were stupid, you got hurt."

"Is that all? I've been hurt before. I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"I highly doubt that that wound is going to heal by tomorrow! This is more important than that anyway!"

"So what is it?" Kai asked while pulling the covers over her head.

Sasame now spoke because he felt Kai was annoying Hayate. "You have a human's blood on your hands. He's not the enemy, nor is he associated. Your power's gone. You can still become a princess of disaster, but you can no longer preat with any of us."

"Is that what's so important?"

"Take something seriously for once!" Hayate boomed. He snatched the cover from her face.

"I was just trying to say, it doesn't make sense since I've been doing stuff like that since before I met you," Kai said pulling the cover back over her head.

It was silent for a long while. Hayate asked Sasame to get Mannen and leave the room for a moment, which made Kai shake a little. _Great. He's going to yell at me until I die myself._ "Before you say anything-"

"Shut up," he cut-off as he sat down in the chair Mannen previously slept in. "Tell me the truth."

"What? I just did."

"I don't believe you. The text states that you couldn't have taken another life unless they were the enemy. A true pretear would face death before killing others."

"Well your _text_ is wrong. And it's not like I was really given a choice! Why would I want to make up something so stupid when I wouldn't hesitate to leave if I were no good here anymore."

"So what, who made you do it? Father? Are you afraid of him?" Kai sneered at him. She tried pulling the covers back over her head but he yanked them back down. "Answer me." Kai sat and ignored him. "I said answer me!"

"Yes."

"So what would he do to you that was so bad, you had to go and kill other people?"

"Trust me when I say I would have rather been dead."

Hayate looked at her confused. "I don't get it."

"The first time he told me to do it, I said I didn't want to and he hit me. The second time, he threatened to kill me. The third time, he threw me in the cellar. Left me down there for a month or two with god only knows what. I was scared. I had to have been at least 6 or 7."

"No body ever comes back up from the cellar. You've got to be lying."

Kai reached over and grabbed his hand, then, in a flash of light, Hayate was gone, and Kai was in the Pretear of Wind uniform. _What the hell!_ "I told you I wasn't lying." Kai stood up and poked her stomach. "It doesn't hurt anymore. I knew it! I think this is twice you were wrong now Hayate." _Shut up…_ Kai unpreated with Hayate.

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt anymore?"

"Yes. And I need to use the bathroom. In fact, I need a shower. So go."

-

So it's obvious that she's not a pretear, so what is she?" Hayate asked Kei, expecting one of his directly blunt answers.

"I don't know," Kei sighed.

"You don't know? Wow. This day's just full of surprises," Hajime joked.

"There aren't any legends of an impure pretear," Goh pondered.

Himeno sat up, alert in her seat. "Maybe it has something to do with that story you found in the cave, Kei."

"That _is_ a possibility. I haven't fully translated it yet. The Lefaenian elders don't seem to understand the text either. They say it's too old for them to read. I've managed to translate a lot but the text runs for miles."

"Can you take us to it?" Sasame asked, interested in Kei's new project he's been working so diligently on. _The elders have been around for centuries. What could be so old that even they don't understand?_

"Take us to what?" Kai asked as she descended the stairs.

-

Kei lit the way down the ancient Lefaenian cave that ran deep underground. "the earth here is so old," Shin commented as they walked further on. As they walked, they passed scrimptions painted onto the walls of old legends.

"How much farther is it Kei?" Hayate asked in fear they would get lost. Himeno would squeeze his hand each time she saw a spider or rat.

"We're here," Kei said as they approached a cliff. They each looked over the ledge, and there, under them, was an enormous space that ran down as a gigantic hall. It was very wide and ran long as far as the eye could see. The Lefae Knights, with the exceptions of Himeno and Kai who were helped down, floated down to the area. Kei led them toward the enormous hall. "To this side, I have yet to translate. But it seems to me, by the heroic drawing before you, that it has to do with a Knight. However, the drawing has curves, signifying that it is a woman." The art was old but well done. A radiant knight in white clothing.

"This seems so important. Why didn't you translate this first?" Hayate asked.

"Because this seemed more important," he said, pointing to the other side of the hall. As they approached, the old drawing scared them. "It speaks of a great evil. The greatest evil know to all Lefaenia, and the world. She is the opposite of the female Knight we just viewed. However, that is all I have managed to translate.

Mannen looked at it closely. What stood out most was the eyes as red as fire. Then it hit him. Before, when he saw them. _…Kai…_


	10. Broken Glass

**The Legendary Knight: **Broken Glass

The indescribable taste of rotting flesh almost made her throw up. Yet she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not when so many days have passed without her having a single bite to eat. She knew it would probably make her sick but it was better than the awful feeling of acid burning holes in your stomach. She whimpered and cried as she took another bite out of the blood-bathed flesh.-

"Wake up!" Hayate shouted. "You're keeping everyone up with all that noise!" Kai sprang from her bed and ran into the bathroom. She held her head over the toilet and puked. "Hey…you alright?" He took a step toward the bathroom, but was cut off when she shouted at him.

"I'm fine! Just leave!" Hayate's eyes furrowed in an angry expression, but he didn't say anything. He just walked out. Kai rinsed her mouth out and began brushing her teeth when someone tapped at the door. She walked out of the bathroom with her toothbrush still in her mouth as she muffled out the words, "It's open." In walked a familiar staff maid with a tray of food. "You…" she muttered after taking the toothbrush out of her mouth.

"Your breakfast Miss Haritanzu." Kai motioned for her to set down on a nearby table as she excused herself for a moment. She went to rinse he mouth out again before coming back out. "I'll be going now," the woman said after the long pause. She turned to walk out the door.

"Wait!" The woman turned quite startled. "Uh…thanks."

"I'm just doing my job."

"Not the food. I mean, the other day."

"It was nothing. Really. How is your mother by the way?"

"…She's…de-"

"Oh, no, forget I asked," the woman said a little worriedly.

"It's alright."

"So they're forbidding you to leave the room again?"

"Yes."

"Did they ask you how you got out?"

"Not yet, but I know they will," Kai sighed.

"Locking you up so much. It's a bit odd."

"Huh?"

"…Never mind. It's nothing."

"You can't just start saying something and not finish. What is it?"

"It's just, I thought they'd try their best to keep you happy."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well…"

"Yeah," Kai rushed.

"The Pretear turns into the Princess of Disaster. Usually, something bad happens to make the Pretear change. Since you're a Pretear, then they'd usually act extra nice to make sure you're not angry or depressed."

"Wha-…they wouldn't do that." _They wouldn't. Although it does make sense but…they wouldn't. Sasame's too nice to…too nice. _

"But you're not a pretear. You would turn into something far worse."

_n...no_

"Did, I say something wrong?"

"…oh. No. It's fine. Y-…you're probably right anyways."

"I should be going now."

Kai sat down on her bed, barely waving at the woman.

-

"Hey Kai. I haven't heard a peep out of you all day. Are you okay?" Goh spoke as he opened the door. He heard the sound of sliding glass as he did. As he looked into the room, he almost gasped in shock at all the broken glass. The window, broken, the glass cup on her breakfast tray, broken, the large mirror, broken, the glass frame in the windowsill, shattered. Shards of glass decorated the rug in a random manner. Kai sat, crouched, on her bed with the sheets over her head. Goh was afraid of stepping on the glass. He floated into the room and sat beside Kai. "What happened! Are you alright?" Goh pulled the sheet from her head. Her eyes widened, as she looked at all the glass on the floor. She yanked the covers back over her head. While she did that, Goh noticed her bleeding arm. He grabbed but she yanked away and scooted further from him. "What's wrong with you?"

"Just leave me alone!" she shrieked. _It won't go away. I don't want to turn into that thing!_

Goh pulled the cover back off her head and picked her up. "Let's go get that bandaged up."

Kai pushed him while he lifted her off the bed. "I said leave me alone!"

"Stop acting like such a child. And why do you have your eyes closed? Did you get glass in them?" Goh asked as he tried to open them for her. He opened one half way before she could stop him. He almost dropped her. They were as red as the blood dripping down her hand and arm. She closed it again. Since it went by so quickly, Goh thought she had gotten glass in her eye. By the time Goh got her down to the First aid, her eyes weren't red anymore.

-

"What was with all the broken glass in your room! Why'd you break it! Do you know how long it's going to take us to fix all of that!"

_She…she had to have been lying. If she weren't, Hayate wouldn't be yelling at me like this. He's yelling at me while I'm bandaged in the first aid bed. What an insensitive bastard. _Kai smirked to herself.

"Kai!…Kai!…Are you even listening to me!"

"Huh," Kai blinked twice.

Hayate ran a rigid hand through his hair. "You'll be staying in my room where I can keep an eye on you until the mess in your room is cleaned up."

Kai smiled at Himeno who had just entered the room. "But I don't think it would be appropriate to share a room with another guy. So why don't I just stay in Himeno's room. That is, if you don't mind."

"Of course I mind. You just take advantage of how nice she is."

"I wasn't asking you. I was asking Himeno, behind you."

Himeno almost laughed at the surprised look on his face. "Of course I won't mind."

"Great," Kai smiled. Hayate gave Kai a narrowed look as if trying to say _I'm watching you_. Kai only returned his look with a smirk. _He's too much of a jackass to pretend to be nice. For once, I've found something good about his attitude. _

"Stop smiling at me. It's annoying," Hayate muttered to her before leaving. "And I'm watching you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, big brother."

Hayate froze at the door. "YOU STUPID—"

"I meant big brother a in the expression. Something you call someone when they're always watching you."

Himeno looked at Hayate oddly. His face went red a bit from embarrassment. He quickly left the room. _That was odd._ "What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just enjoy making him angry."

-

"Sasame, my arm's hurt, not my legs," Kai blushed.

He looked down at her red face and set her firmly on the floor. "But it was still polite of me to do so."

"Well isn't that cute," Mannen grinned.

"I'd punch but my good fist is bandaged up."

"Well aren't I lucky," Mannen retorted sarcastically as he plucked her on the forehead. She kicked him in the Shin. "OWW!"

"Well my good leg is still as effective."

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT!"

"Well if you don't know the answer to that question, then you really are dumber than I thought."

"YOU—"

"You two argue like an old married couple," Sasame laughed.

"Don't make me kick you too."

"Like anyone would marry her. She's going to end up an old lonely hag."

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK YOU DENSE MORON! Anyone who spends more than five seconds with you can figure out your I.Q. isn't exactly up to standard."

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY!"

"_THAT'S_ EXACTLY MY POINT! Remedials…"

Himeno and Sasame laughed. "I'm going to go take Kei some food. He's been in that cave all day," Himeno informed. "Kai, you just make yourself at home."

"Alright." Kai walked in while Sasame set her bag on a nearby table. "Thanks."

-

"I told you to eat something," Himeno laughed.

Kai squeezed her growling stomach. "Well I wasn't hungry at the time," she sighed.

"I can go get you a snack if you want me to."

"No. It's alight. I'll eat tomorrow."

"You sure?"

"Yes mother," Kai responded sarcastically.

Himeno laughed. "Well on a less parental note, what's with you a Sasame? You're together all the time. It's so cute. That is, if you don't mind my asking?" Himeno held the most sheepish grin on her face.

_Whoa, she's serious._ "It's not even like that. We're just-"

"Friends? You don't have to lie to me. I won't tell anyone."

"But…I don't-"

"Yooou're lying. But if you don't want to talk about it," Himeno turned out the light. "Good night, Kai."

"W-…wait. I don't…ugh, forget it. 'Night."

-

Kai yawned quietly, while slowly creeping out of bed so not to wake Himeno. "I should have taken the snack. Now I can't sleep," she muttered to herself. She looked over at the digital clock sitting on Himeno's nightstand. _2 in the morning! This sucks…_ Kai slipped out the door, toward the kitchen downstairs. The hall was lit by the moonlight shining in through the large ceiling to floor windows. She had been staring out of them the entire walk down the hall. Then suddenly, she stepped down on a stair that she didn't notice coming and fell forward, down the rest. Something broke her fall. Her eyes shot open wide at the sight as she tore her lips from his. "I-I'm sorry." Before Sasame could say anything, she jolted toward the kitchen. Her mind a thousand scrambled thoughts.

-

"Wake up. Your coming down to breakfast to eat with us aren't you?" Himeno asked.

Kai wiped her eyes lazily. Her arm didn't hurt as much as before, but every now and then, an annoying pain would get to her. At Himeno's offer to eat breakfast with everyone, her stomach tightened. "I sort of stuffed my face last night because I got really hungry. Now, I'm not so hungry anymore." Just then her stomach growled. _Damn it…_

"You're coming you liar."

"I'm not lying…I'm not completely lying. Do I have to?"

"Yes. Now get up."

Kai put some slippers on and walked with Himeno to the dining room downstairs. While on the way down, Himeno noticed Kai's bandaged arm. "Does it still hurt?"

"A little," she said as she poked at it.

"Don't do that."

"Hey, it doesn't hurt anymore…weird. It did just a few minutes ago."

"Does that happen a lot?"

"What?"

"Healing so quickly."

"O, yeah. But I didn't get injured much at home."

"Really? But didn't you used to…um…"

"Kill people? You can go ahead and say it. It's no big deal. But no. It was rare that anyone ever got a hand on me first."

Himeno found this quite impressive, and could tell by Kai's smirk, that she was a bit proud of it too. But the smirk was so hollow. More like she was impressed with how good she was at it, but not the fact that she did it. Her thoughts continued to dwell on her previous words. "No big deal? Of course it's a big deal. What you did was wrong and you know it. So why did you do it?"

Kai remained silent for a while, before another small smirk spread across her face. "You're exactly the same."

Himeno didn't expect that as an answer and blinked twice. "What do you mean?"

"When I first met you, I barely knew your name and you pummeled me with a thousand questions."

"I was a kid. Give me a break."

"But you're exactly the same. You think that maybe you would have at least changed the appearance a bit. But not you. Same dorky pink hair. Hasn't grown an inch. And you're still kind of short."

"Alright already!" Himeno laughed. Her face was a little red from her relentless observations. "I get it! You haven't changed either." Kai looked at her strangely. She's completely changed. "Your appearance is different. You don't carry that same innocent happiness with you like you used to. You're unpredictable and show rare and random acts of affection. You mostly keep to yourself."

"So what's the same?"

"You still always seem to be hiding something and you never talk about your family."

"Oh," Kai muttered.

"But you tell Sasame everything. I just wish you'd talk to me like you do him."

_All the problems and doubts I had, maybe still have, about these people, she's probably already had. I don't want to talk to her about my family, but maybe talking to her about that would make the both of us feel better._ "You wouldn't understand. Not all of it. And not why I keep it to myself except when he's around. Now don't assume anything because I don't like him like that, but, I can't really explain it. If I don't bring it up, it's because I don't want to talk about it. I'm telling you that as a friend. If I ever have a question I need to ask, I'll talk to you about it. Just not right now because this is kind of awkward.

Himeno looked at her with a warm smile. "Good enough."

-

Kai sat in her chair, barely giving Sasame a second look when he sat down, and he noticed. She would direct her attention toward an argument with Mannen, an attempt to annoy Hayate, or a conversation with Himeno.

You haven't even touched your drink. Are you not thirsty?" Kei asked.

Kai looked at him a bit nervously. Ever since they found out she wasn't a real _pretear_ Kei's been studying her like a lab rat stuck in a maze. She could tell he knew. "No, I'm not Kei. Do you want it, since you seem so interested?" Kai didn't dare to look down at it. She plastered an amused smirk on her face that confused Kei a bit. Luckily, everyone was caught up in their own conversations or meals.

"No thank you. I would like to have a word with you after breakfast though."

Kai gulped. "Right after?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"No, just…morning breath. I'll talk to you after I get cleaned up."

Sasame now noticed their conversation and interjected. "What's wrong?"

Kai leaned her head in the palm of her hand and looked down at her food like a bored child. Though her stomach tightened again. "Nothing. Kei's just monitoring me like one of his lab experiments. Not that I mind." Kai spoke to him blandly and without interest.

Sasame eyed her for a moment, then returned to his meal. He would confront her later when she wasn't around so many people.

-

As soon as Kai stepped out of the shower, their was Kei. She squeezed the towel tighter around her. "WHA—"

"Hello."

"Kei, can I get dressed first!"

"It's not something I haven't seen when practice preating before. Don't be so modest."

"If it can't POSSIBLY wait, then what is it?"

"Glass."

"Excuse me."

"You're afraid of glass. Why is that?"

"…You're serious. You know what. That has to be it. The shininess and smooth surface scare the heck out of me."

"I'm not joking around with you."

Kai secured the towel around her and squeezed the water out of her curly tan hair. "You're supposed to be the expert. Why don't you tell me." Kei grew aggravated. He wiped the fog from the bathroom mirror. "What are you doing, Kei?"

Kei grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in front of the mirror. "What are you seeing that I'm not. What are you so afraid of!"

"You're scaring me, Kei." Kai's eyes were locked on her reflection in the mirror. Kei's angry face turned into that of a tired one.

He let go and wiped his damp hands off on his robe. "I must apologize. I haven't been getting any sleep lately and the elders are pressuring me to get as much done as possible. I'm only afraid for your own well being. If you change into the Queen of Destruction, only bad thing will happen. You're showing all the signs of both the dark side and the light but this fear of your reflection is something I don't get. It's not in the translation. Just please tell me."

Kai looked away from the reflection and scanned Kei's weary face. "It's the drawing from the wall. When I see my reflection, I look like the drawing from the wall. It scares me. But it's not always there."

"Is it there now?"

Kai glanced back over toward the glass mirror which began to fog again. "Not anymore."

"Thank you for not becoming angry with me." Kei let out a held back yawn and started out the door.

"Kei."

"Yes?" Kei stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Don't work yourself so hard. And get some sleep, now."

Kei smiled at her concerned expression. "Well I don't see you look so concerned often."

"I'm serious," Kai smirked.

"Alright."

Kai got dressed the minute Kei left because she new who would be knocking on the door next. She tied on her shoes, which she knew she shouldn't wear in the house, and opened Himeno's balcony window.

-

"Why are you standing there Sasame?" Goh asked.

"I'm waiting for someone," he replied with a smirk. Goh looked at him strangely and walked away. Not too long after, Kai hopped down off Himeno's balcony. Sasame smirked. _I love always being right._

Kai felt someone tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Sasame's smiling face.

"H-Hey Sasame. How's it going? Good? C'ya-"

"Get back over here. I need to talk to you."

"Why me? Why does everyone need to talk to me?" Kai followed Sasame to a hill full of chirping Tipis. A small blue one flew on top of her head. She sat down among the gleeful birds. Sasame sat down beside her. So close, her stomach tightened again. "What is it?"

"Like you don't already know." Sasame glanced down at her, but she kept her eyes glued to the floor. "You know you should really watch where you're going."

"Yeah."

"Are you alright?"

"It's not like it hurt or anything." _I think I…liked it. But I don't like him. I don't get it. _Her first kiss was forced as a pact of marriage between Yuki and Kai for the sake of the clan and powerful Haritanzu bloodline. Her second, with Sasame by accident. _Nothing ever goes right…_

Sasame noticed the blank expression on her face and nudged her side. "What happened isn't bothering you is it?"

"Not really."

"Than it is." Sasame sighed and patted her on the head. "I don't want to hurt you Kai, but I don't like you the same way you do me."

"Who told you that-"

"Hayate. And now that I think about it, it's pretty obvious."

Kai became angry but covered it with a small, crooked smile. "Really?"

"I don't want to mislead you-"

"I don't like you," she interrupted. Sasame was a little surprised. "I don't like you in that way even though EVERYONE around me seems to think so. It's annoying! And now you? Does no one bother asking me about how I feel before saying how I feel?" Kai sighed and stood up, the tiny Tipi fluttering down from her head. "I have to go. I'll see you later."

"Wait."

"What is it?" she asked a bit aggravated. Sasame stood and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry."

Kai's face turned red a bit. Not that she felt swooned at his embrace. She wasn't used to anyone being so touchy-feely. "It's alright." She squeezed herself from his arms before smiling and walking away. She had been walking for a while now. _Now where is that exit again…?_ Then she spotted it. She began walking toward it when Mannen popped up.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I know I'm leaving Lefaenia for a while this place is driving me crazy."

"You'll get in trouble."

"Since when do you care?"

Mannen looked to be thinking about it a while, then spoke. "You're right. I'm coming."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not."

-

Kai kept distant from Mannen, seemingly dwelling in her own frustration. "What's wrong with you?" Mannen asked.

"Nothing," she replied with a more than nothing tone.

"Fine, I won't ask."

"Well you're still talking."

Mannen rolled his eyes at her and sat down on a nearby bench. He yanked her arm down beside him. "Sit," he almost commanded.

"Don't tell me what to do." Kai snatched her arm out of his firm grip.

"We've been walking a long time. I'm sure you're tired."

Kai brought her knees to her chin and stared at the floor.

"You don't want to go back do you?"

"No." she stated plainly. "But I'm going to."

"Why?"

"Where else would I go?"

Mannen took that into consideration and stopped asking questions. They sat there quiet for a long while until Mannen decided to say something. "If you're angry at me, I'll try not to argue with you so much."

"That's not it."

"Then what is it?"

"Do you think I like Sasame?"

"Do you?"

"Nevermind…"

You know Hayate's just-"

"That's the last person I want to hear about right now."

"Alright."

Kai noticed how quickly he was to stop pushing a subject. He didn't really ask questions after she dismissed them. Yet, this was the person she argued with the most. It was weird to her.

"Stop staring at me."

Kai didn't notice she was staring and immediately snapped her eyes back toward the floor.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah. My arm's fine."

"Not that."

"Oh. Yeah I guess."

"…I've got an idea."

-

Kai and Mannen returned that night, laughing almost hysterically. But as soon as they walked in the door, it halted when they met eyes with an angry Hayate. "Uh oh," Mannen breathed uneasy.

"It's eleven at night. Where were you?"

"What? I have a curfew now?"

"Do you really need to ask? It's been quiet but we're still on high alert. You should have been in at 6."

"O gee. Sorry Dad. I didn't know. It won't happen again."

Mannen stayed quiet, hoping to be forgotten about. _They argue like brother and sister._

"Don't call me that!" Hayate shouted.

"Why? You act just like him!" she retorted.

This made him quite angry. "Just get to your room. I'll see you at 4 in the morning tomorrow."

"What for!"

"You can't expect to disobey a curfew and grounding and not get in trouble." Kai got angry and stormed off down the hall with Mannen slyly trailing behind. "That goes for you too Mannen!"

"Crap…" Mannen sulked. Once they were up the stairs Mannen laughed to himself.

"What's so funny?" she asked annoyed.

"Wait until he finds out."

"He shouldn't unless you open your big mouth."

"Relax. I'm not going to tell. It's just, Hayate finds out everything. The belly ring was fine. You can always take it out. But the tattoo, too? Honestly."

"You didn't have a problem when I was getting it. You know you like it." Kai winked and nudged his side.

Mannen rolled his eyes and snickered. "Don't come crying to me when Hayate bites your head off."

"I'm not afraid of him unlike _some_ people. He's just loud. He's not going to hit me or anything."

"That's right. You're a girl. I almost forgot." Kai punched him in the arm. "What was that for!"

"You are such an idiot! I'm going to bed. I don't know if you stupidity is contagious."

"You shouldn't worry about it. You're already stupid so you should be immune." Kai punched him in the arm again before walking into Himeno's room.


	11. Blood Bathed Seal

**(Lidia**_- Kay you guys this one is really short so I posted two. Just incase you get confused, let me explain. Everything's in italics, because they're all thoughts. The ones that are **bold** and underlined are **both thoughts at the same time.** The ones that are **just bold** are one side's thoughts. The ones that are just underlined are another one's thoughts.)_

**The Legendary Knight: **Blood Bathed Seal

"I never want to do another preat practice again." Kai collapsed on the lobby couch. "I can't feel my legs!" she fake wined. Mannen kicked her leg. "Ow!"

"Sounds like you can feel them to me. Now scoot over, you're hogging the couch."

Kai made an attempt to punch him in the arm but it only fell feeble upon contact. "Ah, forget it. It's no use. I've got NO energy left."

"It could be worse."

"How?"

"You could be dead."

"I don't think that's worse than this." Mannen looked at her like she was crazy but didn't bother arguing with her about it. He just leaned back, tiresome.

"Tired?" Hayate approached with a small smirk on his face. Mannen sighed and covered his face with a couch pillow.

"What is it Hayate? What more could you possibly do to knock your tired little sister any lower than she already is?" Kai stared at him. She knew she shouldn't have said that out loud but no one else was around so she didn't think it was a problem.

"You're going down for the day to help Kei with his work."

"So you have found a way to knock me even lower."

"Hurry up. Kei's waiting." Hayate walked off.

"You heard the man. Let's go."

"I'll go when I regain strength in my legs again."

Mannen sighed and stood. "You're lazy."

"Is it that obvious?"

Mannen hoisted her up over his shoulder. "You're coming."

"Put me down Baka!"

Hayate sat down on a bench in the garden. "Finally, quiet," he muttered to himself. The breeze blew lightly through his hair. He was at peace for the time being. Then he felt someone wrap their arms around his neck from behind. His cheeks went red and his eyes shot open. "Hey Himeno."

"Hi Hayate. What were you doing out here by yourself?"

"Trying to sleep."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll go."

Himeno let go but Hayate grabbed her arm. "No. You don't have to leave. Sit down."

Himeno turned a light red but smiled. "Okay."

She sat down on the far and of the bench and Hayate looked at her funny. "Why are you sitting over there?" Himeno blinked at him with a confused look on her face. He wrapped his arms around the blushing tulip head and leaned back on the bench as before. Himeno curled up in his warm hold and closed her eyes. _Hayate…you never actually told me where I stand in your heart, but I like where I am. I wish I could be like this forever._

"This hall's never going to end. Why did Kei stick us with this?"

"How do you keep an idiot busy?" Mannen said, assuming it would start an argument that would keep him entertained.

"You're probably right. What he's doing is probably more boring anyway."

"Whoa."

"Whoa, what?"

"Well I expected you to snap at me."

"I thought about it. But you just insulted yourself in the process of insulting me. After all, you _are_ walking down this hall with me."

_She has a point._ "Yeah, well, there's a lot of stuff written on these walls. We might as well find out how long this hall runs for Kei."

"Yeah," Kai sighed. Her legs had gone numb and she felt like they'd give out any minute. "Hey, Mannen. Can you pick me up again-"

"No," Mannen said just after her last word. He didn't even bother looking down at her when she said it.

"Fine," she shrugged. She stopped walking and sat down. "I'm taking a break."

"But we're almost there, I can see the end."

"Of course you can see the end. It's a level floor. That doesn't mean it's any closer."

Mannen sighed and sat down too. "Wake me up when you're ready to go."

(5 minutes later)-

Mannen woke up and found no one there. He mentally slapped himself. _I knew I shouldn't have fallen asleep. Now where'd she go?_ He stood and looked back the way they came and saw nothing. Then he looked down the other end and saw the figure walking ahead of him. He flew to catch up. "Why didn't you wake me up!"

"O right. I forgot." She punched him in the arm and screamed in his ear. "WAKE UP!"

"IT'S TOO LATE FOR THAT! YOU'RE SUCH A—"

"Idiot? You've said it so many times I stopped caring."

Mannen got angry folded his arms. "Why do you always have to be so difficult."

"Why do you have to ask?" They walked the rest of the way in silence, bored to no extent, until finally they came to it. Kai literally bumped into it, causing her to fall to the floor and rub her nose. Mannen smirked, but then directed his attention toward the giant glass mirror embedded into the end of the wall. It stretched from ceiling to floor.

"What is it?"

"A giant mirror moron."

"I know that! I meant why is it here?"

"Don't ask questions that can't be answered," Kai said getting up. She ran her fingers across the glass. "OW!" she shrieked, yanking her hand away.

"What!" Mannen grabbed her hand. Blood dripped down from her fingers down on his. "How the hell did that happen!"

"I don't know!" Kai's hand flung from Mannen's and stuck to the mirror. Immediately, a blood red color began to flood the mirror from the inside.

"What are you doing?" Mannen asked, nervously looking at the monstrosity.

"I'm not doing anything. My hand's stuck." Mannen tried pulling her hand off but it wasn't working. Then, two black silhouettes appeared amongst the red. "Uh, Mannen," Kai quivered, calling attention to the sight. "Pull harder." And he did so. But in just a matter of seconds, too quickly for him to react, Kai was sucked into the mirror.

Mannen banged on the glass. "KAI!" _What the hell's going on!_

**Let me bring you back in time. A time where life had just began, and emptiness had just ended. In these times, Lefaenia was still the center of life. And with this circle of life, were born two protectors. Twins, each born with their own personalities, each born with their own level of power. The two together were more than enough to guide the cycle of life for many eternities and forever. They grew on their own, taught themselves the ways in which life should be had. Their guardians did not aid them after the age of five, nor did they help them in their life to come. They learned to live with only the company of each other, and provided for themselves. In time, they grew, and it was obvious they had grown to be two separate people. One lived in the satisfaction of loving the life growing around her. The other, lived in the pain in wishing she was this life around her. One was proud of what she had been born. Born to serve the purpose of protecting this wonderful thing called life. The other hated what she had been born. Born to live a life devoted to others when all the life around her thought of itself. Both were obviously two separate people. Both were brave. Both held great power. Yet one was so innocent. So Carefree. Yet so combative. Full of a never ending pool of energy. The other was so secretive. So engulfed in thought. Yet so quiet. As somber as a neglected orphan. They grew older, and grew apart. One loved the world that she had watched grow with her and would do anything to protect it, even if it meant giving her own life. The other hated the world she had watched grow before her eyes behind sheltered walls. She would dispose of her pain no matter what the cost. Even if it meant ending the lives of her sister, this world, and eventually, herself…………………………………**

I had no choice. I had to go. I had to end what she had started. I can't watch what I was born to protect vanish and die. I can't. I'll die before I let it happen. But even more than my need of that, I'll kill my sister for what she is trying to do. I'll end her pain and suffering with the power of my sword……………………I promise…Wait for me…sister…

**I can't take it! I can't take it anymore! I wish everything would die! Die and wither away! I hate this world and everything in it. Why did it have to be me? Why did I have to be the one to live a life of suffering and pain to protect a world that doesn't know I exist! I'll bring and end to this hell on earth. I'll burn this world down in flames and watch it burn. I'll end what caused me pain…then I'll end my own pain…even if I must take my sister's happiness……………**

_**So the battle of selfless protection and self-easing destruction waged on for years straight with never ending fighting. Neither side proving to be the stronger. Neither side proving to be the weaker. **Why fight a war like this? It is going nowhere and at this rate, we will surely end life around us unintentionally. The duty of a knight is to risk thy life for the reassurance of life's existence. I will seal her not with the power of my sword, but with the power only retrieved in death. **And die a foolish death that cannot keep me away forever. To kill thyself and seal me with your own blood is not a selfless act but a foolish one. There is no power in death, just placidness, darkness, emptiness, painlessness. **I could not take her pain away. I could only keep her from hurting others. I know it is only temporary **idiot** but I will except that if it meant only a few more seconds for my world to continue living as life aught to live. And I will rise again** as will I, to finish what I started. This isn't over sister. I promise.**_

Mannen was slumped over on his knees with his fist still pressed against the glass mirror. _Damn it. It's my fault. I shouldn't have let her touch it._ Mannen banged his fist against the glass again. _It should have been me. Kai…I couldn't…save you. _Mannen felt himself go weak. Then he got knocked over my something. "Kai?" Her body being thrust out of the mirror knocked him over. She was covered in blood and soaked him as well, but he didn't care.

"Mannen," she spoke in a feeble breath. "I…don't feel good." She was drifting in and out of consciousness. Inside her head, a series of inaudible whispers.

"You have to stay awake alright. Don't go to sleep." Mannen lifted himself and her up off the floor. He shook her around just to keep her eyes open. Then two bolts of light leaped out of the mirror and into Kai's back. She screamed loud and painfully before fainting. The mirror returned back to normal. Mannen fell in a panic. It was a long way back to the head of the cave, even flying. Mannen slumped Kai over his back before flying his fastest back. _Please don't die_

"Did you hear something?" Kei asked.

Goh looked up at the knight of light. "Yeah, I thought it was just me. It's probably Mannen and Kai joking around down the hall." Kei shrugged it off and continued with his work. "I have to hand it to you, Kei. Not many people would have thought of such a mindless task to keep those two busy."

"Well I would have had to do it eventually. I don't exactly know how far along this cave hall runs." Kei didn't bother looking up during his conversation. He was too busy with his work.

"Well it's got to run pretty far. They should have been done helping you half an hour ago."

(30 minutes later)-

Goh looked up in time to see Mannen approaching from not too far away. He looked tired and he was still flying as fast as he could. Once Mannen caught sight of the two he shouted. Kei, who heard the noise, couldn't make out what he was trying to say. He looked over at Kai sleeping on Mannen's back and dug his nose back into his work. Though he did find it odd that Mannen would agree to carry her back. Goh waved and began eating the food Himeno brought down for Kei a while ago. The two stopped paying Mannen any attention until he approached the head of the cave. "ARE YOU TWO THAT DEFF!"

"Hey Ma-…" Goh was cut off at the sight. Kei looked up when he heard Goh actually stop talking for once. Once he saw, he almost had a heart attack. Goh rushed over to the obviously tired knight and took Kai into his arms.

"What happened!" Kei asked as he got up from his seat. Kai and Mannen were covered in dried blood. More her than him.

"I don't know," was the only answer Mannen had.

"She'll be alright. Besides a cut around her fingertip area, there are no bruises. She's just mentally out of it at the moment. She should awaken early tomorrow morning. Come back at around 6."

"Thank you," Hayate said before the nurse walked away. The knights sat outside the room door. It was quiet for a long while, until Hayate decided to speak. "Mannen. Tell me how it happened."

"I said I don't know."

"Well tell me something! Tell me what happened then."

"The mirror at the end of the cave sucked her in. That's what happened. I don't know how it happened."

Hayate grew angrier at the fact that he couldn't say much for what had just happened. The only thing that stopped him from shouting at the saddened creature before him was Sasame's interjecting. "It's not your fault Mannen."

Mannen just sighed and excused himself to his room.

The next morning, Mannen awoke at 6. He was a bit dazed because he hadn't gotten much sleep to begin with and now he was waking so early. He rolled over to turn his alarm clock off and bumped into something. He blushed while muttering the words "_what the-…she must have sleepwalked up here."_ He saw her murmuring something in her sleep and wanted to laugh. She looked like a child. He slowly climbed out of bed so he wouldn't wake her and went to get dressed. When he returned from the bathroom she was awake and yawning.

"Sorry 'bout that," she said before yawing again.

"It's fine," Mannen said waving off the subject when it wasn't. "You should get back to first aid before they get worried."

"They're just going to interrogate me about yesterday and I'm not going to know what to say."

"You're not getting me in trouble by hiding out in here."

"But Hayate's mad isn't he. What am I supposed to say when he asks me what happened?"

"I don't know."

"O great. You're a big help."

"No, I mean just say _I don't know._ After all, you don't."

"Heh...heh, now see, you would have a point-"

"Would?" Mannen asked suspiciously.

"Not that I know everything-"

"But you know something…"

Kai stared at him nervously. "Well I'm going to go now."

She got out of bed and walked toward the door. Mannen held out his hand and froze the doorknob. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what happened."

"Uh…I don't know," she replied nervously. Mannen gave her a more serious look. She sighed and sat down on the side of his bed. She looked down at her bandaged hand for a while before speaking. "It's a seal for what's left of the Queen of Disaster. But I don't know why it took me in." She knew to expect Mannen's shocked expression, so she didn't bother looking up. "I was scared, I couldn't breathe, and I swallowed blood. On top of that-" Kai was cut off by Mannen's sudden show of affection. His arms wrapped tight around her, and it made her face turn red.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I should have tried harder."

Kai sighed. "Mannen let go." Mannen did as told but had a sad expression on his face. She punched him in the arm.

"What was that for!"

"If it was your fault then I would have said _Mannen, it's your fault_ you moron."

Mannen smirked and rolled his eyes at the same time. Then someone tapped on the door. Mannen removed the ice from the doorknob. "It's open."

Hajime poked his head inside and saw Kai. "She's in here!" he called out to the others. Then he turned to Kai again, now fully opening the door. "They thought you had sleep walked into a closet or something. You alright? Mannen isn't in here touching you is he?"

Kai almost laughed "No. Why would he?"

Mannen gave Hajime a threatening look. "Don't look at me like that Goh told me already."

Mannen sighed. _Big mouth._

"Told you what?" Kai asked curiously.

Hajime stopped talking when the others entered the room. The first thing to come out of Shin's mouth was, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Shin." Kai smiled at him as if he were a small child. It was hard not to think of him as such since he acted so innocent all the time.

"The elders have requested to see you…alone," Hayate informed.

Kai gulped. _I'm in trouble._

"And after that you can tell me when you got that naval ring."

"Cool," Hajime smirked.

"Then after _that_ you can tell me when you got that tattoo."

"Cooler! Let me see it."

"Not now Hajime," Kai muttered through her teeth. She held a crooked smile on her face.


	12. Side Story

**(Lidia- Foul language used. Ass and Damn are used freely but others are starred out like s, b, and f. –ing or –ed included. Warned for Shin's, or rather KAI'S language. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…again. Oh and before I forget. Not any BIG BIG scenes in this one. It's kinda shorter than usual. But I've been busy. I just transferred schools and everything. I gotta catch-up. I'll make it up to you sooner or later! Next time, I'll post two at the same time! Unless something else doesn't come up THANKS FOR READING! AND THANKS FOR REVIEWING! (. )( .) )**

**The Legendary Knight-**

Kai waited impatiently while sitting on the waiting bench outside the elder's meeting room. _Why would they want to see me alone? I didn't even do anything._ She tapped her foot against the leg of the bench until she couldn't stand the anxiety hovering over her. "That's it. I'm leaving. I didn't even eat anything." She squeezed her growling stomach before standing up. "Ugh, I smell. They could have at least let me wash that bloody smell off." Just when Kai got up the nerve to leave, the door opened. She watched Mannen and Kei walk out, a bit tensed.

"You can go in now," Kei said, holding the door farther open for Kai.

She walked in hesitantly, not knowing what she'd say if they asked something. She almost jumped when the heavy wooden door closed behind her. She walked in, center floor. As she looked over the elders, only one thought came to mind. _I'm supposed to nervous around these geezers._ In that instant, she calmed down. There, in the room on a higher level than anything else, were seven old men. Each looked old, sickly, and feeble. Their skin sagged and their eyes seemed swollen shut. They wore the robes of her superiors and, despite their old age, held a sort of defiant aura about them. Each seemed to be staring at her, but she wasn't sure if they could see her. They gave her ghostly gazes as if they were the living dead. Perhaps they were. _They're freaking me out._ The head elder made a gesture to the young speaker standing not to far away from them.

"We're done here. You may go. I do, however, ask that you return every two weeks on Thursday to see the elders."

Kai looked confused. "But-"

"Go."

Kai still didn't seem to get it but took the opportunity to leave anyway. When she exited the room, Kei greeted her with a, "How was it?"

"Uh…not what I expected."

"I thought so. You have to come back right?"

"Yeah. But why? I mean all they did was look at me. Or at least I think they were looking at me."

Kei explained as the two walked out of the building, back to the palace home. "They can't see like we see. They see your aura and your soul. They see good and bad. We see human," Kei explained as if it were the most simple thing in the world. Kai understood, but it only freaked her out more. "Oh, and before I forget. Your room is ready now. Glass included. Don't go breaking it again. If there's a problem, talk to someone."

Kai nodded but pushed the _talk to someone about it_ part to the back of her mind. _At least I have my own room now! Himeno's too much of a chatterbox for me to get any sleep. I guess I can't really blame her. She's stuck here with a bunch of guys all day. Not that that's a completely bad thing. _A small grin found it's way to Kai's face.

"What's so amusing?" Kei asked as he noticed this random gesture.

"N-nothing," she replied nervously. Then she slapped him on the back. "I'm going to take a shower. See you later Kei." Kai walked off alone.

Kai dried her wavy wet hair before heading out the door. Immediately, she bumped into someone and hurt her nose. "Move!" she shouted while pushing the person into the hall wall. She rubbed her nose and opened her eyes to see Shin rubbing his head. "AAAAiii! I'm so sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"It's alright," Shin said while smiling…a painful smile. "Hayate told me to come up here and tell you that the elders have requested you be banned from the cave. And he said take out that ring. And he said you're getting that tattoo removed. And Hajime said he wanted to see it before Hayate made you get rid of it. I told him you wouldn't though. It's not anyplace inappropriate is it?"

Kai looked surprised for a moment. _Well I don't want to yell at Shin. He's just the messenger really._ "No it's not. Just the lower back. Tell Hajime I said NO YOU LITTLE PERVERT! And could you do me a favor and tell Hayate something for me?"

"Yea, sure."

"Now listen closely because I want you to repeat every word exactly how I say it whether you like it or not. Tell him I said—"

Shin's eyes widened at what he was being told to repeat. _I don't think the others would let me say that._ He waited until Kai was finished with her angry rant before saying something. "Kai…"

"Yes Shin? Do you need me to repeat it for you-"

"NO! I mean, I remember. It's just that…I don't think I should say that."

"Nonsense. I used fouler language when I was your age. Don't tell me you've never cursed once?" Shin gave her the most innocent look. "Never mind. Don't answer that. Just say it to him exactly as I told you. Hayate will be too angry with me to even care that you repeated it."

Shin thought about it a while. _She does have a point._ Shin was still hesitant before agreeing.

"Hey Shin," Hayate greeted as the nervous boy came down the stairs. He, Goh, Sasame, and Mannen were watching television in the rec-room. "Did you tell her what I said?"

"Yes," Shin replied uneasily.

"She's probably pissed," Mannen laughed and Sasame, Kei, Goh did as well.

"Yeah. Whatever. It's not that big of a deal."

"Actually. She thinks it's a very big deal."

"Huh? What'd she say?" Hayate asked and the rest listened in eagerly.

Shin looked a bit nervous but decided to say it anyway. "She told me to tell you that you can go f yourself you son of a b. Who the hell do you think you are you controlling bastard. I'm not taking this damn ring out. I'm not getting this f tattoo removed. In fact, I'll get another one that says Hayate can go f himself. Or should I get Hayate is full of s? I don't know which one appeals to me more. You're not my f father and you're not my f mother. Hell, according to you, you aren't even my f brother. Kiss my ass. Then move up a little higher and kiss my tattoo before I ask you to GO TO HELL YOU ASS HOLE." Shin sighed at all the profanity. "More or less. I didn't use the same tone she did." Hayate was brimming with anger while the other's laughed to no extent. Before Shin could even apologize on Kai's behalf, Hayate had already made his way up the stairs. "You shouldn't laugh you guys. I think she hurt his feelings."

Mannen laughed even harder, if that were possible. "What feelings? He's just angry she said anything other than _yes sir._"

Hayate burst in through her room door but she wasn't there. "Great! Where the hell did that coward go!"

"O you mean Kai? She left two seconds ago?" Himeno said as she made her way down the stairs. Hayate followed her.

"Where'd she go?"

"I don't know. She didn't say."

Hayate cringed his teeth together. _Damn it..._

Kai was just about to walk out the door when it slammed shut in front of her. "Now where are you running off to?"

"Get your hand off the door, Mannen." Mannen just continued to stare down at her with an amused grin on his face.

"Now what fun would it be for me if I just let you run away, eh?" Kai punched him in the arm pretty hard. He kept himself from wincing. "Like that hurt. I'm still not moving."

"Move!"

"Make me." Kai wrapped one arm around the back of his neck and before he even realized what was going on, Kai had kneed him in the stomach. "Alright…I'll…move," he said between breaths.

She stared at him with a grin on her face as if thinking about something. "Hey. Why don't you come with me?" she asked, slapping him on the back while he was already doubled over on the floor.

"Bad enough you hit me but must you continue while I'm already in pain!"

"If you were a real man it wouldn't hurt!"

"Well maybe you're more of a man than I am!"

"You two argue like an old married couple," Sasame said, approaching them with a smile.

"Who asked you!" Mannen snapped.

"Gee, Mannen. Why so hostile, Mannen? THAT time of the month already?"

"Now wait a sec you two-"

"Don't insult me just because you're gender confused!" Mannen shouted, completely ignoring Sasame.

"Well what Mannen? You know so much about how a girl's supposed to act so what am I doing wrong? Should be cooking something? Cleaning something? Planting flowers with Himeno everyday?"

Sasame sighed. _Please don't say something stupid._

"YES! That's EXACTLY what!"

Sasame held his breath._ He had to say something stupid._

Kai just stared at him for a while. She didn't seem angered by what he just said but Sasame saw her fist clench tightly as if she were going to hit him. "Never mind, just stay here. I'll be back later," she said in a calm tone as she walked out the door.

"When are you coming back?" Sasame asked concerned.

"Later!" Kai slammed the front door closed.

"You just had to say something misogynistic didn't you?" Sasame scowled at Mannen.

"…Is that a bad thing?"

Sasame sighed. "Forget it. Let's go."

"You're not going to go look for her are you? I'm not going!"

"You made her angry! You're coming , Mannen!" Sasame said in a more firm, louder tone.

"She shouldn't have been able to get that far, that quickly," Sasame said, pausing for a bit to survey the area. It was obvious she left to the outside world. They had searched half Lefaenia before a civilian told them he saw her walk on the path out. In the process of looking for her, they were drawing quite the crowd of girls.

"Great…" Mannen muttered under his breath. He looked over his shoulder at the followers. "I bet if we run fast enough, we can ditch 'em," Mannen whispered to Sasame. Sasame thought about it for a few seconds and nodded in agreement. They darted off a few blocks, and hid in an alley way until the crowd disappeared. They began their walk down the sidewalk again.

"It's getting really cold, Mannen."

"Yeah. It's about to snow. Maybe she's not out here Sasame. Could you try hearing her out?"

"Yea, sure, hold on." Sasame stopped walking and closed his eyes to focus in on the sound waves. "She's at the beach…"

"What the hell is she doing there? It's Winter."

"There she is," Mannen pointed out. As the two approached they noticed that she was drenched in water.

"Kai are you alright?" Mannen reached down to help her up.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped before slapping his hand away.

"Well excuse me for caring! You ungrateful-"

"Mannen," Sasame scorned. He turned his attention back to Kai. "What happened?" he sighed.

"I slipped in."

"You probably tried to drown yourself. What kind of excuse is I slipped in." Kai got up and tackled Mannen down onto the floor. "Get off!"

"If you won't shut your damn mouth, I'll shut it for you." She began tightening her grip around Mannen's neck. Mannen noticed her eyes were red again.

Sasame reached down and whispered in her ear. Mere whispers from the songbird could put anyone to sleep. And that it did. He lifted Kai off Mannen while the knight gasped for air. "Did you have to take your time!"

_That's not like her at all. If anything she vents anger into something else._

"Sasame!"

"Huh?"

"You're not even listening!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Continue."

"Never mind. Let's just go home."

Kai opened her eyes her eyes, still half asleep. She was greeted by a pair of blue ones staring back at her. They looked angry and she wanted to go back to sleep to get away from them. Then she felt herself being violently shaken awake. her eyes sprout open and she was now wide awake. "WHAT! I'M UP!" She glanced over at the clock. It was seven in the morning and she grew weary of this early to rise business.

Mannen now hovered over her. "She looks fine now...but before-"

"What do you want?" she asked bluntly, cutting off his observation.

"Sasame says your snapping at people more often and Mannen tells me you tried to kill him."

"Eh?" Kai was confused. She stared at the two of them and saw they were serious. "I admit I was angry but I didn't try to kill him. I just left. As for snapping at people, if this is about what I told Shin than I can assure you that _that_ is not me angry. I was just stating the truth."

Hayate got an extremely angry look on his face. A breeze blew through, but soon died down, along with his expression. "I'll deal with that later. Right now, we're talking about yesterday. Mannen said your eyes went red again when you tried to kill him yesterday."

"When did I do that?" Kai thought about it for a while. She was actually serious about not remembering and it scared them. "Well I don't know what you're talking about and I seriously don't care. Afterall, that bastard deserves it after what he said to me!"

"Get over it!"

"You're not even going to apologize!"

"WHY SHOULD I!"

"You're such a BASTARD!"

"Look who's talking!"

Kai got out of bed and punched him in the arm, a little harder than usual. "I hate you!"

"Well I don't exactly _like_ you either!"

"Than why the hell are you here!"

"Fine! I'm leaving!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Alright then. But you're STILL HERE!"

Mannen walked out and slammed the door. Just as he did that Hayate started...laughing? "Sasame was right. You two do argue like an old married couple."

"I don't remember asking you." Hayate's laughter was soon cut off by a loud ear pulsing alarm.

"What's that?" Kai asked.

"The alarm! Someone's been caught breeching the perimeter." Hayate got up from his seat, changed into his uniform, and rabbed Kai by the hand. He took off rather quickly in a swift blue light. But by the time they got there, by he time sny of the knights had gotten there, it was too late. The fountain was still fine, but an injured gaurd said that two women had gotten awa with some of it. "Damn it!"

"It was...Takako's children...it had to be."

"You've done well my dear children." The old woman held out a feeble hand to grab the jar.

"It's only enough to sustain you as you are until we finish what need be done."

"And how have my two hateful darlings decided to approach the obstacle?"

"Mind games," Takata smirked.

"We're planning on breaking down the new woman we told you about tonight," Kana finished.

"Good. Good," Takako aproved. She leaned back in her chair. "I raised you well."


	13. Possessed

**(Lidia- Alright. Here's the next one. Sorry it isn't two like I said I would. I'm just sleepy! Forgive me! I'll make it up eventually. I've just been kinda busy lately. And it's longer than the last one! 'sry! I hope the last one wasn't to hard to read. For some reason, when I typed those dotted line thingies to break off sections of the story, it didn't show up on the actual site! GHDGH#YUGUUFIOGUYGYU#!FYTF! My star thingies to bleep stuff out didn't show up either. So it was all f and s and stuff like that. Lol Thanks for reading anyways though! And THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! TELL A FRIEND! If it's not too much trouble. lol And wow, I didn't know someone else out there besides me had Mannen as their favorite Knight. lol Don't get mad at me for his chapter, even though it's nothing much anyway. Not the chapter I'd never say that, I mean what happens...JUST READ! lol O yeah, I've decided to start RESPONDING to more reviews, even if you don't ask a question. Let's see uh...**

**Himeno Kagome- My first reviewer! Even when my title sort of sucked. lol. Thanks!**

**BAK-For short right? Thanks! I'm a favorite! whoa...**

**Animangel- Thanks I will...have...still am. lol**

**Thanks Natsuke! You did spell it wrong right? Or are you a different person and I don't know what I'm saying?**

**NC Ace- Thanks for reviewing…I know how it feels to get kicked off…**

**Samurai-lapin- You love it? Wow! I feel special!**

**Reviewer- I don't know who you are but I'm going to find out! Lol jk thanks!**

**Magical Proof- I actually read your story. When are you going to update that thing! Lol Wow, someone else likes Mannen as the favorite…I thought it was just me. Lol**

**Bobbyneko- Thanks for reading. That friendship is sort of a I like you I hate you I'm over it again I like you just go away I hate you thing. Lol**

**Lulu bell- Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like it so much! And who doesn't want to know more about Kai? …nobody answer that. She is a mysterious one. I'm glad you like my original character. I'm too tempted to add my own original characters into stories when I write fan-fics.**

**I'll reply more often now so I don't run on talking for an entire page next time. Lol.)**

**The Legendary Knight**- Possessed

"Are you done, Kei?" Kai asked impatiently.

"Almost," Kei said, writing something down.

"But you'll put me to sleep with all this. What exactly are you supposed to be examining anyway?"

"While translating, I found out a few things. Since the White Knight disappeared, parts of her were power were used to make the very first Lefae Knights. However, over generations of reincarnations and Lefae powers being passed on to make new knights, those early memories were forgotten. She is the mother of Lefaenia and life as all knights were once apart of her. So it states that she, you, _should_ be able to preat with more than one knight at the same time."

"Whoa. That's kinda cool."

"Yeah, I explained it to the others. they should be coming down here any minute now.

Kai rolled her eyes. _I guess that means that bastard too._ "There aren't any weird side effects are there?"

"Not that I know of. But it would probably give you a headache if they all spoke inside your mind at the same time."

"Great..." The pack entered soon after. Hayate went first, surprising her at how fast he grabbed her hand. He had this look on his face as if he wanted to get this over with so he could get back to something. _Well I apologize if I'm interrupting you and Himeno's make-out time but this isn't exactly my decision. Shut up and grab Shin's hand already!_ Kai reached out to the blushing blonde and smiled. He timidly grabbed her hand. After the flash of green light died down, Kai found herself in a pretty good cross between the Pretear of Wind uniform and the Pretear of Earth uniform. _I didn't think it was going to work. Yeah I know._

"Is it a strain on you?" Kei asked.

"No."

"Alright. Next."

Hajime stepped up gladly. Then Sasame, Goh and a grumpy Mannen. _Tell Kei to hurry up. Wow! It's sort of crowded don't you think?... This is weird. I want out! We're done aren't we? Shut up Mannen! ... That's it, I'm out!_ Mannen unpreated with Kai, as did the others.

"It's fine," Kei spoke. "There's no need for me to preat with her too. I have the data I need. You may go." Mannen stomped out of the room first. The rest slowly walked out. Kei left to go meet with the elders about this.

Once everyone left, Kai fell to her knees and doubled over. Small drips of blood dripped from her mouth, to her knees. Mannen knocked on the already closed door. "Hey! The elders want to see you for another examination!" There was no response. He knocked on the door harder. "Are you still mad? Get out here!" Now all he heard was coughing coming from the room. He popped open the room door. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she replied in a raspy whisper. There was blood all over the floor and she just kept coughing it up. As soon as Mannen tried to help her up, she slapped his hand away. "I'm fine. Go (cough) away."

Mannen picked her up against her will and carried her down to first aid. "Stubborn..." he trailed off on his insult when he noticed she fell asleep. "...child."

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Kai woke up a little drained ten minutes later. Sasame was sleeping up against the door, so it wasn't like she could sneak out. She shook herself awake, then threw her pillow at the napping man to wake him up. "H-Hey, you're awake," Sasame said while rubbing his eyes. He picked the pillow up from the floor and set it down on another hospital bed. Kai stood up. "Hey, lay back down."

"But I'm fine now. Really."

"If it was too much, then you should have just told Kei that."

"But it wasn't...at first."

Sasame gestured over toward the side table at her lunch. "I brought it up. It's probably a little cold-"

"It's fine," she said before stuffing her face.

"Hey, slow down."

"But I'm hungry. I didn't have anything to eat all day." Kai pouted like a little child before biting down on another rice ball.

Sasame sighed. "At least don't eat with your hands. You're not an animal."

Kai's face turned red. She hadn't noticed how fast, or the manner in which she was eating. She normally wouldn't have cared. "I-I'm done."

"Already? Hand it over. I'll take it to the kitchen."

"You've done enough. Stop being so nice all the time," she frowned.

"Hmm? If not nice then how should I act?"

"Normal," she shrugged.

"This isn't normal?"

Kai stared at him. He had this confused look on his face for a while. Then he smiled at her. "Being normal is boring."

She noticed that childish grin on his face. Usually, he was so…adult. Like Hayate's opposite, but at the same time, much like him. She shook her head slightly. _Still a little dizzy._

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. Can I leave now? The first aid wing is depressing."

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Mannen stopped her in the hall just before she entered her room. "Yes, Mannen?"

"Err," he stared nervously. "Are you alright?"

Kai looked at him for a while before making a smart remark. "Obviously." Kai tried opening her door again.

"Wait."

"Now what Mannen. It's late and I'm tired."

"I just wanted to…eh…say-"

"Out with it."

"About the other day…I'm…s-…seeeaaaooouuurry."

"You're seaourry?" Kai raised a brow at him.

"You know what I mean," Mannen snorted.

"You couldn't have said this earlier when I was more...awake?"

"Do you have to turn everything into an argument!"

"Do you have to shout?" she retorted, a bit dazed. "Besides, I got over it already. Now let me go to bed."

"Alright. Good Night. And don't sleep walk into my room again, you scared me last time."

Kai punched him in the arm. "It's not funny. And I won't." She walked into her room and closed the door."

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There was a light tap at the door. Sasame rolled over trying to ignore it, but even the sound so light woke him up. The tap came again. He lazily rolled out of bed and walked to the door. There stood a smiling maid in the hall. "Hello Sasame-sama. Did I wake you?"

_Of course you woke me._ "It's quite alright. How may I help you?"

"You really shouldn't have asked."

"Hmm?"

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"Stop knocking already. The door's open," Kai groaned as she rolled over in her bed.

"Kai?"

Kai now sat up. "Sasame? What is it? Is something wrong?" The songbird smiled at her and closed the door behind him. Kai stared at him oddly as he approached. "What are you-"

Sasame placed a finger over her mouth, making her face turn red. He then pulled her into him with a soft smile and kissed the confused woman. Sasame placed a firm hand on her chest. "All the hate within you, feed to me, be with me and my endless hate." His hand phased in through but was quickly shot out by a shock of electricity. Sasame jerked away. "Why won't she let me in?" Sasame gasped in a very different voice.

"**Because...**" Kai looked up at Sasame with one eye of white light, and the other of red fire. "**This body's taken. **Now rid yourself from my presence pest!" The frightened black shadow leaped from Sasame's body and disappeared. His body collapsed onto the floor. Kai's eyes slowly faded back to normal. But the over rush of whispers in her head made her faint back onto her bed.

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The sun shone in through the window and irritated Kai. She rolled over as usual, not noticing how close to the edge she was, and fell off the bed. "Oof!"

"What the-?" Kai looked down to see she fell on Sasame. Her face turned red when she saw him smile up at her awkwardly. The flustered woman jumped up and stared at him. "What are you doing in here? And why don't you have a shirt on?"

"I really don't know. Maybe I sleep walk too." He laughed nervously before excusing himself.

"That was weird..." Kai muttered. Then she got a devious thought in mind. "He wouldn't." She checked to see if her underwear were on backwards or anything weird like that. Just as Kai was doing this, she became startled when someone burst in through the door. "Oh, hey Hayate," she greeted without even looking up at him. She knew it would only be him bursting in through the door like that.

"Don't hey me! What happened!"

"Yeah. Did you make our little Sasame a man?" Mannen laughed.

"Shut up Mannen!" Hayate boomed.

"I fell on him."

"What and his hips broke your fall?" Hayate now turned around at Mannen with fire in his eyes. "Alright, I'm shutting up."

"I woke up, he was on my floor. You know he wouldn't do something like that." She sighed a little disappointed. "Too bad for me," she muttered to herself.

"What was that!"

Normally Kai would have been snapping back in an equally loud tone, but she wasn't feeling well. _I have a headache as bad as a hangover. Maybe...a warm saki and some fried Calamari would do me good right about now._ She thought about it for seconds before dismissing the thought. _Like I could in this house..._ "Could you stop yelling. I don't feel good. I'm going to go take a shower, unless you want to make sure Sasame's not in there too?"

"Can I come?" Mannen joked. Hayate grabbed him by the face and dragged him out of the room.

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"Why couldn't you!" Takako shouted as high as her feeble body let her.

"There was a problem when we had the puppet take over the Knight of Sound."

"I don't want excuses! Just forget I asked. You both are worthless!"

The older twin Takata stood to speak. "But _not_ hearing what we have to say would be your loss."

Takako listened closely but still seemed irritated. "He wasn't let in to control the woman," Kana explained.

"That still doesn't explain what's so interesting."

Takata took over when she noticed how annoyed Kana was becoming with her mother. "She's already been possessed by something greater than the power of the Princess of Disaster. That is why we weren't let in."

"Greater? Was it...that legend Kei was talking about?"

"I've seen her preating with more than one at a time."

"Really?"

"We believe so. Right now, from what we've seen, we think she's borderline evil. Straying over to the darker side of her own form like you and the Pretear."

Takako thought about it for a while, then her lips curled into a wicked smirk. "We don't have to be let in."

"I knew you'd say that. So we help her become what she's already on her way to being. Serve the same purpose."

"Yes my deviant children. It shouldn't be that hard." _You'll suffer Hayate. Suffer until the very minute I finish you and everything around you._

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"Where'd that ring go?" Kai searched all around her room. _That bastard better not have taken it…_ Kai saw a small flash of light come from under her bed. "There it is!" She kneeled down and reached under her bed and grabbed it. _I advise you clean that off first. Don't want you getting infected. **Yet…Heh.** Don't scare the girl when you can't do anything besides run your mouth. **Not yet anyway…** Don't listen to her._ "What the hell?" Kai froze, looking around the room but seeing no one. "W-Who's there?" Someone opened the door and it made Kai jump.

"What's your problem?" Mannen asked.

"Don't you knock, Baka!"

"Relax tomboy. I just came to say they're starting breakfast early today. That is, if you're even planning on eating with us, or eating at all."

"Y…yeah. I'm coming. Sorry." She stood up and walked to the bathroom to rinse the ring off first.

"Sorry?" Mannen was a little surprised. "Wow, that's a first. Alright, seriously. What's wrong with you?"

Kai looked up from the to the bathroom mirror and saw that she had no reflection. "Everything…" she muttered.

"What?" Mannen popped his head into the bathroom.

"Nothing. I'm fine." Kai hit him in the arm. "Let's go."

"You don't have to hit me every time you feel like saying something. It's always violence with you."

"Is that a problem?" Kai asked as she glared at him. Mannen couldn't help but remember the time she tried to choke him to death. He shook his head absentmindedly. "Good," she smiled.

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"It's nice to finally have you eating with us again," Sasame greeted.

Kai's face went dark red. "Yeah…"

"Kai, do you have a fever?" Himeno asked. When she placed her hand on Kai's forehead, she felt her hair stand on end.

_How embarrassing…_

"You don't have a fever but your face is so red. You should go back to bed."

"I'm fine," Kai muttered while lowering her head. Himeno was clueless to the muffled laughs around the table.

"Are you su—"

"Yes!" Kai snapped a bit harshly. She lowered her head again and continued eating.

"Well."

"What?" Kai asked a bit rudely when hearing Hayate's voice.

"Aren't you going to apologize!" Kai fell silent, stuffing her mouth too fast for her to talk. "Well don't do it because I told you to, do it because Himeno didn't do anything wrong."

Kai glanced up at the smiling tulip-head. "Oh, that's okay. It's fine. I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Kai shrugged and got back to her food. After she finished eating, she rested her chin in her palm and stared at Hayate. The knight didn't notice at first, but soon grew uncomfortable. "What!" She didn't answer him, just kept staring. "What is it!"

"Looking at you disgusts me and yet I continue to. Why?" she asked herself as she continued staring at him. Everyone was a little caught off guard by her statement but when were they not? The gods had truly chosen _the best_ to end up with them. Such a random, hurt, depressed, lying, scary, yet humble and fun person to be around. Though Sasame was the closest one to knowing what she was thinking and he barely knew much. The truth was no one ever knew what she was thinking. It scared them to an extent. The girl's been through so much, she could snap and become the Queen of Disaster at any moment. But when? Kai blinked at the reaction she got and excused herself as if _they_ were being odd. Sasame found her after quite some time sitting on the roof of the palace.

"What are you doing up here?"

"Thinking," she said in no real attempt to carry on a conversation.

"How'd you even get up here?"

"After I left I just mindlessly wandered around until I got lost, then I found a door back there that opened up to the roof."

Sasame nodded and sat beside her. "So what are you thinking about now?"

"A lot of stuff."

"Like?"

"You know…if time has no beginning or end, then how does it exist? How does it have an in between?"

"I don't know. It's just like that."

"When's the afternoon?"

"Huh? At one pm I guess."

"But twelve is noon. So wouldn't afternoon be 12:01?"

"Well technically you're right-"

"But then if that's right, wouldn't twelve and on second be the afternoon?"

"Yeah that's right too-"

"But then wouldn't twelve and one half a second be afternoon?"

"Uh, yeah-"

"But then wouldn't twelve and one-fourth a second, or twelve and one-hundredth of a second be after noon. And if that's right, numbers go on forever. So when is afternoon really. When is before noon. There is none. And if there is no afternoon or before noon, there is no noon. So why do some things just exist with no reason?"

"You thought that all up yourself…well when you put it that way-"

"Do you hear something?"

Sasame, being the knight of sound, didn't hear anything out of the norm. "No, why?"

"No reason. What happens to people when they die?"

"I don't know"

"Do you think bad people go to a bad place when they die?"

"I-I don't kn—"

"Do you think I'm a bad person?" Kai blurted out as if it were asking is the sky blue, assuming she knew the answer. _No. Why would you think that? Why would you ask that? Of course not!_ She lowered her head. "Don't answer that."

"You need to stop thinking so much." Sasame placed a hand on the girl's head. "You only make yourself more depressed thinking about things like that. If you've got a problem, just tell me about it. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you because you kept whatever it is you have to say to yourself."

"Not everything I have to say is very nice…"

"Nice or not, tell me about it before it gets worse. Okay?"

Kai just sat there, burning red again. "Maybe Himeno's right, you probably do have a fever."

_Embarrassing…embarrassing…_

"I'll be fine," she smiled at him.

Sasame froze and turned red a bit himself. _Takako…_ Sasame mentally slapped himself and looked away. "We should get inside. It's cold out."

"Right! Tell the damn Ice Princess I want to see some snow if it's going to be this cold for no reason."

"Huh? Himeno."

"No Mannen."

"But you said Princess-"

"I know what I said and I said what I meant."

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"I'm going to go visit my dad tomorrow!" Himeno cheered. It was late night and she was a bit more hyperactive than usual.

"Wow. Tell him I said hey."

"Uh…HEY! You could come with me!"

"What? Last time I went he kept yammering on about love novels and crap like that. I mean c'mon. I was 5. What would I know about it."

"The same you know now. Nothing."

Kai punched Mannen in the arm. "No one was talking to you retard."

"I'm sure he'd be happy to see you! The whole family wouldn't mind another visitor."

"Whole family? O right, you told me he got married again. Fine, I'll go. But I doubt he'd even remember me."

"Of course he would! I already told him about you in my last letter."

"Why not just call him?"

"We can't call them from here moron."

Kai punched Mannen once more. "Once again, not talking to you." Kai took something out of her pocket and handed it to Mannen before walking off with Himeno. "He'll be preoccupied for a good while. Long enough for you to finish talking anyways."

Mannen read the card curiously. _How do you keep an idiot busy? Turn the card over._ Mannen did just that and read it again. _How do you keep an idiot busy? Turn the card over._ Mannen was confused now. He turned it over to see if he had missed anything. But no. he read it correctly. _How do you keep an idiot busy? Turn the card over. _He turned it to the other side to see if maybe he missed something there. _How do you keep and idiot busy? Turn the card over. Wait…the hell!_ "VERY FUNNY!"

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	14. What Almost Was

**(Lidia-Hey! I hope you liked the last one! O! Before I forget, I've already thought of my next FF I'm going to write. It's for Fruits Basket. Maybe you've read it. If you haven't, then you should! It's really good! Kyo's just the best! Hope you'll read that too! But for now, I'm going to focus on getting on this. THIS AND ONLY THIS! Don't take me so literally But pretty much yeah. But I do introduce a few characters from my next FF briefly in this chapter. I also thought it was about time I have another moment with Kai and Mannen when they're actually not arguing. lol Hope you like! Shorter than usual. I know. But I'm sleepy. **

**Reviewer responds:**

**Magical Poof- Thanks! And I've tried that card thing so many times. It's amazing how often it works. O.O**

**bobbyneko-That was you? Good to know. And thanks:**

**Later.)**

**The Legendary Knight-**What almost was...

"Alright, I can't breathe," Kai gasped.

Kaoru set her down and scratched the back of his head. "Heh, sorry. I just remember you as being so small."

"Well any friend of Himeno's is a friend of the family. Will everyone be staying?" Mrs. Awayuki asked.

"Yeah," Shin nodded happily.

"Then let's go make you guys some orange cake." Hajime and Shin followed close behind her to the kitchen.

"So how've you been?" Kaoru asked.

"Fine."

"Really? That's good. How's the family, how's your dad?"

"They're…alright. My dad's…dead."

"O, I apologize."

"Trust me when I say you really don't need to."

"Let's go get that bag into Himeno's room and she can introduce you to the rest of the family."

Kai nodded and followed Himeno up stairs."Wow. I didn't want to say anything about it but for once I met your dad and he's not drunk and he doesn't have a hang over."

"Yeah. Dad barely drinks anymore." Kai set her bag next to Himeno's bed. The house was really big but Kai didn't awe at it too much since her own bed back in Lefaenia wasn't much smaller than this. Though Kai did wonder how it was such a palace on the inside and just a giant tree with a wooden roof over the leaves on the outside. "Your room's...pretty," Kai winced at all the blindingly light pink.

"Thanks," Himeno smiled, taking it as a compliment. "Let's get down stairs. I'll introduce you to Mayune and Mawata."

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"Hello," Mawata greeted with a warm smile.

Kai returned the smile but somehow to her it didn't seem to be as humble as hers. Probably becuase she had to think about whether to smile back. _Wait...why would I be thinking about that?_ "Hey."

Mayune showed up not too much later after their conversation on monotonous questions all people ask when you first meet. "There's Mayune! Mayne, this is Kai!" himeno introduced.

Kai smiled and greeted Mayune too. "So this is the 'sweet little girl' Kaoru was talking about. Hello."

Kai looked at her oddly. _Sweet little girl?_ "He still talks about me like I'm five years old."

Mayune approached a little more and scanned the woman. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"Hmm? I do't think so," Kai said slowly, trying to figure out if maybe she really did.

"Wait a second. I remember. How could I forget a brat like you!"

lllllllllllllllllll(flashback)lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"Remember, only let Hijikada and the Seigusa women in. Got it?"

"Yes father," Kai responded absentmndedly. He frowned at her lack to pay attention but ignored it for the time being.

"Let's go Akira," her father said before making his way into the building.

"I'll be right up," the young man replied as he watched the brute climb the stairs. Once he was out of sight, the rest of the guys standing outside joked around.

"You'll be right up huh?" one of them laughed. "We all know why you're still out here. Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on you girlfriend."

"Very funny, Maki," Akira smirked. While he was turned around, Kai gave him a look so cold, it almost seemed as if hr eyes culd kill, and it scared him a little.

"Relax, I'm just joking." Maki waved off the subject and continued talking to someone else.

Akira leaned over and whispered something in Kai's ear that made her turn a deep red and giggle slightly. Then he kissed her on the cheek, said he'd be back, and walked into the building. Mao took the opportunity to make fun of her. She mimiked that small giggle while saying, "O Akira. I can't wait until my father leaves so we can make out on the sofa like yesterday!"

Kai snapped her hand over Mao's mouth and hissed at the snickering bunch. "Shut it Mao! Or I'll tell everyone about how you thought Ryu got you pregnant with your clothes on!" she said in a harsh whisper only loud enough for her to hear.

"Alright," Mao caved, removing Kai's hand from her mouth. They stood outside the glass double doors of the extravigant building and soon noticed the boys were drawing a crowd of girls. "You guys should get inside. You don't need to be out here anyway."

"Alright," Maki said before winking at Kai. She rolled her eyes at him.

Just before he walked inside, Mao slapped him across the head with the case of her sword. "Stay away from my sister pervert."

One of the guys had been conversing (flirting out of boredom) with a girl not too much older than Kai. She had long pink hair and a fake laugh that killed (really). She began following them inside when Kai stopped her at the door. "Go ahead in Goku," Kai rushed. The guy smirked and squeezed her nose like a teasing big brother before walking in.

"Excuse me. I was going in there!" The young lady piped.

"No you weren't," Kai said before closing the door.

The girl looked surprised and appalled at the same time. "Do you know who I am?"

"No, But I'm sure you're going to tell us," Mao groaned.

"I am Mayune! The eldest daughter of the wealthiest woman in Japan!" she huffed.

Kai and Mao both faked expressions of surprisal. "O! My I didn't know!" Mao gasped.

"We apologize for our rudeness! Your mother must own this building then?" Kai asked.

"Well, no-"

"Then I guess we don't have to let you in." Mao shrugged.

"You must not have heard me correctly!" _How dare they not let me into a public establishment!_

"No, we heard you correctly. Your name's Mayune, daughter of the wealthiest woman in Japan. I'm Kai, and this is my little sister Mao. Daughters of the father who told us not to let anyone in. And that's just what we're going to do. So run along."

"I'm sure Goku was just looking for some brief attention anyway," Mao informed.

"Well I never! I'll be back."

"If you must, come back AFTER we leave. Annoying..."

Just then, a man, a woman, and two other girls around Kai's age showed up at the door. Kai scanned the group momentarily. The woman was tall and looked like a model. Jet black hair, sunglasses, and a look wealth. The man was a bit old, but held a dangerous aura about him. One of the girls clung to the woman like a small child, blonde, silver eyes, and a sneaky grin. The last girl seemed rather distracted by her own thoughts. Striking resemblance to the woman, and looked thousands of times better, jet black hair and blue eyes. "I'm Mr.Hijikada. This is Sara Seigusa, Tomoko Seigusa, and Ami Seigusa." Kai stepped aside and let them in.

"You let them in!" Mayune almost shrieked.

"Unlike you, we were told to let them in." Mayune became angry and stormed off into a nearby limo while shouting 'HOME TANAKA!'

llllllllllllllll(ends flashback)lllllllllllllllllll

"O. So that stuck up snob was you."

"Don't call me a stuck up snob you bratt!"

"Please, you guys," Himeno pleaded, hoping to stop the arguement.

"While your here, just don't bother me!"

"Gee, that's going to be tuff but I'll try not to." Mayune huffed and tormed off in the opposite direction. "Well that went well. I think I like your family Himeno."

Mawata exchanged glances with Himeno and the two smiled at the woman.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"I know how you like to get up in the middle of the night for snacks so feel free to raid the kitchen if you get hungry."

"You don't have to ask me twice," Kai smirked before rolling over to get some sleep. And indeed, later that night, Kai awoke to thee sound of her rumbling stomach. _Need...food...now...Where was that kitchen again._ Kai stumbled along lazily until she finally found it. She dug in the fridge for some celery and searched the cubbord for peanutbutter. (Lidia-My favorite when I'm not that hungry. Don't knock it 'til you try it) It was pretty hard to find becuase the kitchen was amazingly huge. Once she did find it, she sat it on a plate a the counter and tried to open the jar of peanutbutter. _What the hell did they do? Sucion this thing on? Open, dammit!_

"Let a man get that for you," Mannen said before grabbin the jar from her. he snapped it open almost effortlessly and handed it back to her with a smirk on his face.

Kai stared at him for a while before snatching it from him. "I could've done it myself."

"Sure," Mannen said sarcastically, taking a seat at the counter.

"What are you doing down here anyway?"

"I got hungry. Then I saw the great assassin here struggling with a peanut jar-"

"I was not!" Kai began yanking the leaves off angrily but soon calmed down. "Make yourself useful and hand me a knife. I'm hungry Ice Princess."

Mannen was irritated by the name but reached over to get one anyway. "What is that?"

"Celery and peanut butter," Kai stated as if he were a moron, wich was probably what she was aiming for.

"Yuck. Why eat that crap when there's leftover cack in the fridge?"

Kai slabbed one down with peanut butter and shoved it his mouth. "There. Now don't tak with your mouth full."

Mannen was a little surprised by the action, but then by the taste. Who knew vegetables could taste so good. Even Broccoli and cheese irritated him to an extent. He swallowed a bite of it. "It's not that bad..." he stated in a tone suggesting it wasn't that good either.

Kai smiled at him for the first time in a long while. He froze and for a moment, he felt his face turn red for a moment. "Don't lie to me. You like it. So just eat it." She finished her first one, oblivious to the way Mannen was looking at her, and went toget something to drink. "You thirsty?" she asked from the open fridge.

"Uh, yeah." She came back with a grape soda for her and a cream soda for him. "How'd you know I wanted a cream soda?"

"It's all you ever drink," she stated as if it were a fact of life. _Go ahead...open it._

Mannen was a little surprised she noticed, but then again, who didn't? He opend it and out shot cream soda all over his face. Kai broke down in to laughter at the wet knight. "Is that supposed to be funny!" Mannen shouted while wiping the soda from his eyelids.

"Very," she said between laughs. "I still can't believe you actually drank it without being at least a little suspicious. You're not getting soft on me, Mannen, are you?"

"Soft?" He grabbed her drink and shook it up. Then he grabbed her by the arm so she couldn't run and drenched her with it. Then opened it up and dumped the rest on her head. Gasped before shivring a little.

"I know it wasn't that cold before. You did that on purpose!" Now Mannen laughed. Ka grabbed one of her peanutbutter covered celery and smeared it across Mannen's face. He chased around the counter, which was pretty hard to do considering how fast she was, and smeared her face in it too. "Alright! Alright! I'm sorry!" Mannen released her only for her o slip on soda and knock him over as well. "I'm so sorry!" She tried to seriously apologize but at the same time she just couldn't stop laughing. Mannen rubbed the back of his head and smirked.

"It's alright. I'm fine. But we won't be fine if someone else sees this mess."

"O right!" Kai said a bit more urgently. Kai carefully got off Mannen, who didn't start blushing until after he realized hat just happened.

"T-They should be under the sink in the cabinet," Mannen stuttered.

Kai went to go get it. "What's shampoo doing down here? ...Doesn't matter. I'm using it. I don't want to go back to Himeno's room a mess. Kai handed Mannen a rag and they both began wiping down the counter and floor. "Hey Manny-baby, you missed a spot," Kai joked. They soon finished.

"Can we go now?"

"Can you wait for me while I wash this crap out of my hair?"

"Why should I?"

"Because I don't want you to leave me here all by myself," she said with the cutest look on her face. How could he say no?

"Alright. But hurry up with it." Mannen sat back at the counter, almost ready to go back to sleep. Once she was done, she insisted on washing Mannen's hair too. If he didn't get it out now, his hair would end up all sticky later. Once again, he caved in. Mostly becuase she said it might end up needing to be cut off. She handed him a clean rag to dry himself off. Then they started down the hall, back to the rooms they were staying in. During their conversation throughout the walk, Mannen felt himself feel weird everytime she smiled up at him. Not too much farther before they came to their rooms Mannen stopped her. "Uh Kai..."

"Yeah?" she asked curiously.

Mannen thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "Nevermind."

Kai got a look of disapproval on her face. "You can't just start saying something and not finish."

"Really it's nothing."

"If it's nothing then say it." Mannen turned red again. She smiled at him again. "But if it's something stupid I'm going to hit you."

He couldn't take it anymore. Even drenched in soda and covered in peanut butter, she was still hot. He grabbed her by the shoulders and leaned in, but haulted once he felt her go rigid under his grip. Her eyes were shot open wide, staring at him. He sighed and whispered good night instead and walked away.

_Was he going to..._


	15. Let It Snow

(Lidia- I hope you liked the last chapter, regardless of my many spelling errors. I was rushed. Forgive me! And sorry I took so long to put this one up. I've been so busy, so distracted! But this is a long one people! It's like an apology in itself. lol

**Reviewer Responses:**

Magical Proof- Once again, Thanks for reading! Reviews make me so happy!

Bobbyneko- Thanks for reviewing! You and Magical Proof review a lot. glows with happiness without reviews, why write FF's? lol

Ephona-New reader or new reviewer. Doesn't matter. Thanks for reviewing! I've been meaning to enter it in earlier but yeah…well…I don't have much of an excuse besides the fact that…that…I'm lazy! whines…fake tears…bows sorry for prolonging it. Sorry!

Lulu belle- Thanks for the long and entertaining review! It was funny! Not that big a Lord of the rings fan though. My loss right?

Natsuke-Thanks! You've never heard of that idiot card trick. I thought everyone heard about that.)

"Hey," Himeno sniffed when the two awoke the next morning. "You smell funny."

Kai got nervous. "What?"

"Yeah. You smell like…peanut butter…soda…grape soda…and shampoo?"

"I sorta pigged out…then fell asleep in my food. How embarrassing."

"You smell like cream soda too." Himeno got a sheepish grin on her face.

Kai froze momentarily before thinking up another lie. "Well I couldn't find the grape soda at first, so I opened the first can I found, and it squirt in my face. It was shook up."

"O, well that's no fun," Himeno sulked.

"Fun? Talking about guys is fun to you?"

"Well…yeah."

"Fine. Did you do Hayate yet?"

Himeno turned a very deep red and looked at her rather surprised. "Wha- No!"

"Did he even try?" Kai asked nonchalantly.

"He wouldn't. Hayate respects me."

"It's not about respect. If that were the case I would have asked if he raped you. Did he even say _I love you? I like you?_"

"He-…no," Himeno answered a little depressed.

Kai noticed and sighed. "Don't go getting all depressed. It's not like I didn't already know the answer to that. He doesn't seem like the type that would just out and say it. He probably wants to, but I doubt he's not too embarrassed to. It's not like he doesn't. When you're around, Hayate's less of a bastard. If I may put it bluntly."

"Uh…that's good…I guess. But he really is a sweet person."

lllllllllllll(flashback)lllllllllllll

"Ow!" Kai immediately sat down and held onto her knee with a death grip. "You didn't have to hit me so hard!"

"Yes I did. Now stop whining and get up."

"I can't. It's bleeding you jackass!"

Hayate sighed and kneeled down beside her. He held his hand over it, flashing a small blue light on it. It stopped bleeding and stopped hurting. "We're done for today. Go back inside."

llllll(end)lllllll

"Yeah, I guess. In an odd, mean sort of way."

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Kai and Himeno walked down the stairs, just as up for the morning as ever. "I hope you girls are hungry. I had the cooks make everyone a good breakfast!" Mrs. Awayuki smiled.

"Yeah. Sure hope you didn't fill up on peanut butter and soda last night." Hajime walked in passed the two. Kai stiffened momentarily but brushed the comment off for the time being.

"As always, your father insisted on helping."

They all sat down at the table and began to eat. "I'd like to make a toast to my long streak of alcohol absence and to our visitors we consider family!" Kaoru raised his glass while everyone else stared at him.

"Hiyaah!" Himeno dropkicked her father down into his seat. "A toast is no reason to start drinking now!"

Kaoru whined with fake tears. "I'm so hurt that you would think I'm drinking again my Himeno! It's just ginger ale!"

"It better be!"

"Is this normal?"

"It happens all the time!" Shin replied with a smile. Kai returned the smile.

"Well you must be a morning person to be so happy so early."

The boy's cheeks turned red a bit before he muttered a, "Y-yeah."

Kai looked over at Mannen, wondering why he was being so quiet. He was picking at his food. She thought she saw him glance up at her but he turned away just as quickly as he looked. Then she in turn became quiet while mouthing the words, "O yeah…" _Goodnight…_

Goh looked over at the two quiet ones and smiled. "Wow a semi-quiet breakfast for once. Did the old married couple finally decide to get a divorce," he laughed.

"Huh?"

"whatever…"

Goh blinked. "That's it? No shut up? No yelling? Not even a glare? What's wrong?" the man asked suspiciously.

"Nothing's wrong," Kai said shoving a bite of food into her mouth. "I just don't feel like arguing today. And it's rude to argue in another's home anyways."

"It's also rude to speak with your mouth full," Hayate pointed out.

"Who asked you Kaze-Baka-sama?" Kai snapped.

"And you say that's not rude!"

"I said sama didn't I? Sounds pretty polite to me."

"Calling someone an honorific wind idiot isn't polite!"

"I apologize on their behalf Mrs. Awayuki. Just as she and Mannen argue, the two of them do as well."

(bicker! squabble!)

"They really mean nothing by it."

"Yeah, you should have seen them when she got that tattoo," Hajime laughed.

"Tattoo?"

"It's nothing, really," Sasame smiled before giving Hajime a _please be quiet _look.

(shout! bark!)

"It's quite alright."

"You're an embarrassment!"

"Well you've made that clear already!"

"You don't have any respect for your elders."

"Elder? I didn't know you were that old. But now that you mention it, you've got a gray hair right there," she pointed.

"That's it! We're going home!"

"Since when do we have to listen to you?"

"I'm your superior."

"And who decided you were above me?"

"You don't have to come if you don't want to!" Hayate boomed, almost jumping out of his seat. Then it got quiet.

"Hayate," Sasame said in a harsh whisper. Then he smiled nervously. "Everybody settle down. He didn't mean it."

He didn't bother arguing with Sasame. He just sat back down and continued eating. Kai ate also but wouldn't take her eyes off him. The table got quiet. "Well how about these eggs. Aren't they delicious? Made 'em myself!"

"They're great, Mr. Awayuki. And let me apologize."

"O you don't have to."

"But I do. I apologize on behalf of me and my brother's rudeness. He takes after his father's temper." Hayate froze and Kai had been staring at him just to see his reaction then she **_no longer had a reason to look at him anymore. It sickened her how much he looked like him. Especially when he was angry which was all the time. Kai finished the rest of her food while everyone just stared at Hayate._**

"O, Sho-Chan! You have a brother? Where is he!"

Everyone looked at Kaoru and sighed. Such a brilliant writer. Such a dense mind. :Now before you all jump to conclusions-" Sasame began but was cut off.

"No. If everyone must know. That woman is my little half sister," Hayate spat.

When everyone looked back at Kai, she didn't look angry or happy or sad. She looked…sick. She knocked over her glass cup, causing the drink to spill and it to break. Kei immediately stood up. "Is it…that again."

She nodded momentarily before darting to a nearby bathroom and puking in the toilet. She rinsed her mouth out with water and made for the door when it closed by itself and locked before her very eyes. She tried opening it but it wouldn't work. _What the-**I'd like to have a word with you.**_ She froze at the sound of the other voice in her head. She knew she heard it before. Kai slapped herself in the face with water. _You're just over reacting. It's all in…your…head…_She stared at herself in the sink mirror. **_I beg to differ love. It's not all in your head. Not yet. _**Her own demonic reflection smirked back at her.

"Kai, are you done in there? We're going to take you home alright? You still have you visit with the elders tomorrow." There was no answer and Kei became worried. "Kai?"

"It's your fault…You made me-" **_I didn't make you say anything you weren't already thinking. Pardon me if I have the backbone to actually step up and say it. That body's wasted on such a feeble mind. So why not let me have it?_** "Leave me alone. It's mines not yours."

"What? Who are you talking to?"

**_Don't be so mean to me. I could make it a lot worse when I take it from you. Kill off the real you piece by piece. Or, you can just let me in, no harm done. _**The figure reached through the mirror out to her. **_One way or another you'll be mine. You can come home with me. And I'll lock your soul away in the cellar where it deserves to remain. Your poor, poor blood guilty tortured soul. _**It tried to grab her but a bright light repelled her. _**Damn you sister.** Stop scaring the girl with threats you can't follow through with.** I can't. Not while I'm in here. But it will be her who lets me out.** Enough!_ The figure in the mirror vanished and the door Kai was leaning on swung open.

"What's wrong?" Kei asked.

He hugged her shivering body. "I'm scared Kei."

llllllllllll(2 days later)llllllllllllll

Kai yawned and scratched the back of her head. _This isn't my room. Geez…_She looked around but no Sasame in the room. She ran over to the window. "Snow!"

"It's snowing in the outside world so a lot of the people in Lefaenia who never get snow begged Mannen for it," Sasame explained with a smile.

"I've never seen it so white before."

"Well what other color would it be?" Goh asked when he overheard the conversation on his way past.

"It's always red every year on the island. Only when it hits the floor though. The elder of the clan said it was because our land was cursed or some superstitious crap like that. I just thought it was all the blood on the land making it like that."

Before either knight could say anything, she sprinted out of the room. After she was bathed, dressed, and fed (sped through breakfast) she jumped outside into the snow head first and started making snow angels. "You'd think she'd never seen snow before," Hajime stared at the hyperactive woman.

"I think it's adorable," Himeno smiled.

"I knew you'd say that. That's why I didn't ask." All the other knights joined Kai outside. "How about a little friendly competition? A snowball fight."

Kai perked up. "Alright!"

Kei stared for a moment. "I'll be the referee. If someone gets hit, they're out. And no powers."

"Alright!…not that I have any…Me, Sasame, Goh, and Shin against Himeno, Hajime, Mannen, and the old man."

"What did you call me brat!"

Kai threw a snowball at his face and it made even more angry. "Tsk tsk tsk, you should pay more attention Kaze. You're lucky the game hasn't started yet."

"Begin," Kei rushed before Hayate got any angrier.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

You go that way, I'll go this way," Hayate whispered. He and Mannen split up. They were apparently the only two left on the team and Himeno, surprisingly had been taken hostage. She wasn't necessarily hit with a snowball. Just being restrained and used as a shield. Hayate grimaced at the fact that he knew who's idea it was. There were a few trees down the path he decided to walk down and it made him a bit paranoid. Then he saw something wiggling slightly behind one. He picked up a clump of snow and hurled it at the figure.

Kei, who was hovering above and saw the action announced, "Player Himeno, out."

"Himeno?" Hayate rushed over to find her half buried in snow so she couldn't move.

"That hurt!"

"I thought you were-"

Goh grabbed Hayate from behind and Kai leaped out from behind another tree and threw a snowball at his face. "Player Hayate, out." Kai laughed at the angry knight but that laugh was short lived. She snapped her head out of the way and the snow ball hit Goh. "Player Goh, out."

"That sucks."

Kai scooped up some snow and hurled it at Mannen, who moved out of the way and let it hit Sasame. "Player Sasame out."

"Crap. Where's Shin?"

"He's out already. You didn't think you'd beat the knight of ICE in a snowball fight now did you?" Kai charged at him with a drop kick. Before he could even think about what to do next, instinct took over and he made a wave of snow to push her back.

"Player Mannen, disqualified."

"What! That's not fair!"

"If I may point out. She did it on purpose. Quite clever."

Kai was literally rolling around in the snow with laughter shouting "I win! IwinIwinIwin I win!"

"You cheated!"

"It wasn't against the rules was it Kei?"

Kei shook his head and came back down from the air. "Great, we lost because air head over here broke a rule," Hajime complained.

Mannen-STAB1

(IwinIwinIwinIwin)

Mannen-STAB2

"Nice going block head," Hayate muttered

Mannen-STAB3

"You know what? I wanna make a snowman—"

Mannen-EXPLODE

"YOU'RE ON!" Mannen shouted.

"On what?"

"You way have beaten me at this but there's no way you'll make a better snowman than me."

They both began but Mannen finished way earlier. Kai's was the traditional frosty the snowman while Mannen's was and exactly duplicate of what he would look like when pointing and laughing at Kai's snowman. "That's great, Mannen!" Shin cheered. "But it's a bit mean, don't you think?"

"Beat that!" Mannen taunted.

"It's very nice, Mannen. You wi-"

"Hold it!"

"What? How are you going to weasel your way out of this one?"

"If I may. That's a snow version of Mannen. Given Mannen's age and immature attitude, that is not a snowman. It's a snow boy."

Everyone paused for a moment. "She's right. She wins."

"What!"

"IwinIwinIwinIwin!"

"That's not fair!"

"You have lost yet again ice princess."

Mannen-STAB1

"Idiot," Hayate muttered.

Mannen-STAB2

"Obviously this isn't a fair competition," Kei observed. Mannen perked up. "Kai's too clever go against Mannen. We should find someone less…smart…to put it bluntly."

Mannen-STAB3

"Don't call Mannen stupid." Mannen sighed. "Just call me REALLY REALLY SMART! IwinIwinIwinIwinIwin!"

Mannen-…+….+….Explode!

"That's it! Another game! Another one!"

"Huh? You sure must like loosing. But what else would we play?"

"SOMETHINHG! FIND SOMETHING!" he said a bit crazed.

"You're scaring me. What's wrong with you?"

Mannen blinked momentarily. He didn't understand what she was talking about. "He gets like that sometimes. He absolutely hates loosing," Sasame explained.

"Though he continues to," Hayate smirked.

"You never beat me you bastard!"

"You're not on my level. So why bother wasting my time?"

(bicker, squabble)

Kai yawned aloud, then shivered. _It's getting cold._

"You should get inside."

"I don't want to. I'm fine," she said gripping the coat closer to her. Then she smiled. "Besides, I'm having fun."

Hayate glanced over at her smiling face and frowned. He threw his jacket at her, and covered her head. She yanked it off and threw it back at him but it just landed at his feet. "Take it."

"I said I'm fine."

Hayate rolled his eyes. "Let's go Sasame."

Kai perked up. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

"I wasn't talking to you," she said, averting her attention toward Sasame.

"Oh, heh, they gave me the day shift again at the radio station. I'll be airing early today."

"Can I come. I won't fall asleep this time."

"No," Hayate answered for his nervous friend.

"I wasn't asking you. Don't you have to go fertilize something anyways. Or did you get fired already?"

Hayate ignored her comment. He, Goh, Kei, and Sasame left. Kai narrowed her eyes toward the knight standing beside her. "What?"

"Don't you have a job you should be getting to?"

"I called in sick."

"Lazy," she muttered before grabbing Hayate's jacket off the floor and walking inside.

llllllllllllllllllllllllll

"I'm going with the staff grocery shopping. And maybe to help shovel a little snow for others with the Lefaenian children for their community service hours in the outer world," Himeno said as she put on her coat.

"I could could just blow it away," Mannen offered.

"That defeats the whole purpose of community service, moron," Kai sighed before placing to poking fingers on his forehead. "Maybe you should try doing some work for a change."

Mannen moved her hand away. "At least I have a job. When was the last job you had?" Kai looked at him like he was stupid. _O right, she had a job before she got here in the first place. _

"I think I deserved the early retirement, even if it is with you people…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing…much." Kai shoved a few too many marshmallows into her hot chocolate and smashed them in with a spoon.

"Uh, Kai?"

"What now princess?"

_If she calls me that one more time…_ "Don't you think that's too much?"

"Huh?" Kai looked down at what she was doing. "Oh, I wasn't paying attention."

"You weren't what?"

"They never left to work together before? Why now?"

Mannen got nervous. "You're imagining things. And you're making a mess."

"Oh…eh, you're probably right." She grabbed the knight's sleeve and wiped the table with it until he snatched away.

"Why the hell did you do that!" Mannen said, wringing out the spot on his sleeve.

"It seemed convenient at the time," Kai shrugged. Kai chugged the entire cup of fresh, molten hot chocolate down at once. "That was actually pretty good."

"That didn't burn?"

"Was it supposed to?" Mannen sighed and drank his cream soda. "You're drinking that when it's so cold out?"

"It's not like it's going to hurt me-"

"Mannen…"

He looked at her but didn't say anything.

_I can't stop thinking about it. Why didn't he…why didn't that bastard…_"Am I ugly?"

Mannen spit out his soda at the surprise question. "Wha?"

"Nevermind. I'll take that as a yes." She sunk farther down in her chair.

It was quiet for a long time…a long…long…long time. Really it wasn't that long, but it felt that way. "No."

By now, Kai wasn't thinking about it anymore. "No what?"

Mannen froze. _Is she serious?_ "No your not ugly," he said before chugging down the rest of his soda. He felt his face turning red and looked away. She just stared at him. First she looked surprised he even bothered answering. It did seem like a rather stupid question after a while anyways so she had forgot. "What? Stop staring."

…_now I'm confused, if I'm not ugly then why didn't he…? _She frowned at him now.

"What!"

"You're-, you're-, such a dumb ass!" She shouted before punching him in the arm and storming off.

"What did I do!" he said, chasing after her. "It's not like I insulted you or anything!"

Really, the problem was Kai just didn't know how to react. She was confused and angry because of it. Soon she just stopped walking. "…sorry," she sighed.

Mannen froze where he stood. _She actually apologized for something. What's wrong with her?_ "Uh, okay-"

"I'm leaving. It should still be snowing on the outside world. You coming?" She didn't bother looking back at him when asking.

"S-sure."

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

_iehdkh**you**fdjgjjyhgrfanojhbfkgfkjshfgysfyh**can't**fhkhfgjkhxuhhyygzalways-**no**fshgiurigsiygrisrgrjidyyguy**forever**grfyyfgkygfu…my head hurts._ Kai kept walking mindlessly until suddenly she felt someone jerk her back.

"What the hell's your problem! Are you trying to kill yourself!"

"Huh?" Kai snapped out of her thoughts and suddenly became aware of her surroundings. She was so close to the rushing traffic covered street it almost sent her into shock.

Mannen let go of her coat hood once she was firmly on the sidewalk. "Just start paying attention to where you're going." Kai didn't respond and the quiet between them started to bother him. "Where are we going anyways?"

"Goh's job."

Mannen froze. "W-why?"

Kai noticed that he stopped walking and finally looked up at him. "I just got bored is all. And I've got this sudden craving for fried Calamari!"

_Does this girl ever not think with her stomach. And where does all the food go? She should be an elephant by now._ A small grin spread across the knight's face.

"What's so funny?"

Mannen turned red. "Nothing."

Kai narrowed her eyes at him momentarily, then approached the restaurant. Kai looked at the woman oddly as she watched her lock up. "Um, excuse me?"

"O, Kai, Mannen, what are you doing here?" the woman greeted before closing up.

"Uh, where's Goh?" Kai asked as she looked around the woman.

"Hmm? What do you mean? He and Mannen both know they don't have to come in today with this snowstorm. I'm just here to make sure everything's all right."

"So Goh didn't show up at all?"

"No. Not that I know of."

Kai looked very angry. She turned to Mannen with fire in her eyes and a threatening scowl that made the knight feel 2 inches tall. "What's going on, Mannen?"

"Nothing, nothing, really." He waved. Kai grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt and asked again. "All right. I'll tell you. But don't say anything okay?" Kai agreed and Mannen whispered something in her ear.

"They went where?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's the truth. Kei was feeling a little depressed with all the work suddenly shoved on him and they wanted to make him feel better."

"And they must have dragged poor Sasame-kun along with them."

Mannen rolled his eyes and muttered, "whatever…"

The woman standing aside interrupted their conversation. "I know how you always like to stop by and get these from Goh so here." Kai immediately recognized the smell and grabbed the bag. "I made them to have for a little midnight snack but you poor shivering baby, looks like you need them more."

"Thank you!" Kai popped one of the fried calamari into her mouth.

Mannen shook his head as they headed back to the house. _Shameless…_

"Want some?"

"No."

"Your loss," she said shoving another handful into her mouth. Then she shivered again.

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah, I just need to sit down," Kai replied before curling up on a nearby bench. Mannen sat beside her looking worried. "Don't look at me like that. I'm fine."

"It's getting really cold out here. The snow is really coming down. It's supposed to storm like hell too. We should get back."

"Geez, will you people stop telling me what to do…When I say I'm fine it means-"

"You're not. But if you want to be stupid and freeze to death then by all means-"

"Thank you, now shut up princess."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Well what should I call you? Dumb ass?"

"Why the hell would you think that's any better?"

"Because you are one."

"How?"

"Because you didn't-…!" Kai's face turned red and she looked at the floor. "Forget it."

"When I don't finish a sentence it's such a big deal. So go ahead, finish it."

"I said forget it Mannen-"

"I didn't what! You know what! I'm just tired of arguing with you! Everyday it's the same thing! And for what! If I even try to be nice you just find a way to turn it into an argument-" Mannen's eyes shot open and his face turned red. He could feel his entire person go rigid when Kai crashed her mouth over his loud one. But just as quickly as it happened, Kai pulled away and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She just sat there staring at the floor with an expression on her face that looked sad yet angry at the same time. Mannen sighed and lowered his red-cheeked face to look at her. "I'm sor-"

"It's getting worse outside. We should go," Kai said, standing up in the middle of his apology as if he weren't saying anything. Deep down she knew she was just trying to avoid a reaction._ That was just stupid…stupid, stupid, stupid._

"Kai wait," Mannen said trying to catch up.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid_—

Mannen grabbed her by the wrist so she'd slow down. Upon doing so her face went red. "Will you wait up!" Kai snatched her wrist away turned to look at the red knight.

"Forget it. It was a stupid thing to do and I'm sor-" _…ry…_Mannen shut her up with a kiss just as swift as the one before but not as rushed. Kai blushed an even darker shade of red. She felt so small under the grip Mannen had on her shoulders. Given the previous argument she was even more confused on how she should react. Mannen pulled away slowly and whispered to her.

"I am a dumb ass, and I'm sorry."

lllllllllllllllllllllllll

Kai walked in and shook the snow from her hair at the door. "Welcome back! Where did you go?" Himeno asked with a cheery little smile on her face. She smelled like fresh crab and butter.

"You smell funny," was the first thing that came out of Kai's mouth which wasn't so polite.

"Ah! I do?" Himeno sniffed the back of her hand. Then smiled. "I see what you mean." Kai and Mannen both took their shoes off at the door, set their jackets on a nearby hook and walked further in. "So did you two have fun today?"

Kai noticed the devilish hint in her voice and her faint blushing grew again. "No. Stopped by Goh's place, he wasn't there, so we came home."

"That's it?" Himeno asked a little disappointed.

Mannen faked thinking about it. "Pretty much."

"Why wasn't Goh there?"

Kai got this bright look on her face and rushed over to whisper something into Himeno's ear. "They went where!"

"It's the truth. Mannen told me."

"Now wait a second," Mannen waved.

"And it was probably that Baka-Kaze's idea," Kai accused and it made Himeno a little angrier on the inside. "Can you believe they dragged our innocent little Sasame along with them?"

"No," Himeno asked in disbelief.

"O poor him," Mannen said sarcastically.

Just then the group of snow covered men walked in and they all seemed to be angry at something. "Hey guys," Goh waved as he kicked his shoes off.

"Don't you _hey_ me pervert," Kai glared.

Goh was a little taken back and began trying to think about something he may have did wrong. Kai and Himeno both rushed to Sasame's side. "Are you alright?" Himeno asked.

"Yeah. Those pervs didn't make you look did they?" Kai asked while eying Hayate.

Sasame looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Mannen told us all about your little trip," Himeno announced angrily. All of them tensed.

"I can't trust you to keep your damn mouth shut!" Hayate shouted at Mannen.

"Don't shout at him!"

"Why are you coddling Sasame over there, it was his idea!"

It was quiet for a while. "Of course it wasn't! Unless you convinced poor Sasame-kun it was a good idea you pervert!"

"And I thought you were different!" Himeno shouted before turning away from the knight, who quickly went from angry to confused.

"Wait why are you angry?" Hayate asked.

"And how does what we did make me a pervert?" Goh asked.

"Because going out to see naked women is disgusting!" they both shouted at the same time. The group of men fell quiet. Mannen became immensely nervous.

"You girls have got it all wrong," Sasame tried to explain.

"Now, now Sasame, don't go trying to explain their actions."

"It's not your fault."

"Wha-! B-but we didn't," Kei tried to explain out of his surprised state. He was absolutely appalled.

"Tell them where we really were Mannen!"

Mannen froze. He was torn between bailing out the guys and telling the truth, or getting a really good laugh. _Laugh…truth…laugh…truth…_He glanced over at the guy's pleading faces and sighed. "I told them…the truth. That you three took your depressed friend Kei over there to see a couple of strippers to make him feel better. But I couldn't keep such a vile secret from them now could I?"

"MANNEN!" Hayate, Kei, and Goh shouted.

"Let's go Sasame. You spend anymore time with those Bakas and they may rub off on you."

"Really girls. It's not what you think."

llllllllllllllllllllllllll

"She's really sick and won't be coming out for a while." There was a loud sneeze from inside the room. "When I said make sure she doesn't find out I also meant make sure she doesn't go anywhere Mannen," Hayate scowled.

"I know but like hell if she's going to listen to me," he shrugged.

"Will Kai be alright," Shin asked.

"Since when were you so worried over a little cold. You like her or something?" Hajime grinned.

"N-no."

"Leave him alone."

"So that's what really happened?" Himeno asked sadly. _That's so sad. When she first came here she just lied about it so calmly like it were nothing. _

"Yeah. Each one of them slaughtered. It was unbelievable how many," Goh muttered in a low voice.

"That clearly wasn't the reason the snow was red," Hayate explained. "The source of the dead Lefae was coming from that lower cellar that led into the ground. When-…I used to live there, no one ever came back up from there. So I wouldn't know what was down there. But she was there. We'll ask her when she wakes up."

They thought she was sleeping soundly when really she overheard the conversation. It scared her to the point where she couldn't fall asleep. In the back of her mind that cellar was all she could think about. That cold. That darkness that sound. It scared her nearly to death and it made her angry because until now, she thought she had begun to forget…but no one really forgets…

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil."

llllllllllllllllllllllllllll

_I don't…want to see it…I don't…want to hear it…I don't…want to talk about it**…but I can't stop thinking about it…no one told me how not to think about it…tell me how not to think…about it…**_

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

This was the third morning. Mannen would walk in each day so far and it would be the same. Kai would fake sleeping while Mannen placed her breakfast tray down on the table. Then he'd close the door, open it again, and the tray would be empty. He never knew anyone could move that fast. Then he'd leave and listen to her finish off the rest of the food she probably didn't get to while Mannen grabbed the empty tray. He knew it was probably just a way to avoid talking to him. So this time he set the tray on the table, walked in place, opened and closed the door. Just as the door clicked closed, Kai jumped out of bed and froze in place. "Good morning," Mannen said with an annoyed smirk on his face. Kai sighed and walked over to the tray of food. She pulled out a chair, sat down, and began eating. "You can't start faking sick and to avoid talking to me." Kai starting eating faster. "Don't do that you'll choke." She ate even faster. "Well say something damn it!"

Kai finished off the last of her food, chugged her milk, and smiled. "Good morning," then jumped back in bed.

Mannen became even angrier but kept himself from shouting at her. "Eventually you're going to have to talk to me." He was responded with a soft snoring. "I know you're not asleep already!"

"You're not supposed to yell at sick people."

"You're not-! You're not sick."

_See no evil teaches one wise man. Speak no evil teaches one wise man. Hear no evil teaches on wise man. One wise man's dead. Because he didn't want to think of evil._

"Kai are you even listening to me?"

"No."

Mannen became frustrated and sighed once more. "If you don't like me just say so." It was quiet again. "I'll just leave."

Mannen tried getting up but Kai grabbed his hand before he could. But when she realized it, she let go just as quickly. "Y-…you don't have to leave if you don't want to." Mannen's face turned red and he sat back down. She sat up and stared at her lap. "It's just that…I don't know what I'm supposed to say."

"You're not supposed to say anything. Just say what you want."

"But I don't want to say anything." Mannen glanced over at her, but quickly looked away. Kai saw it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said with an even redder face. _I shouldn't have come so early in the morning, not while she looks like that._ Kai's hair was a wavy mess that hung at the sides of her face, she wore an oversized t-shirt that hung over her shoulder and exposed her bra strap. _Doesn't she even care?_ He looked back at her, only to see her scratch the back of her head and yawn. _(sweatdrops) I guess not…_

Kai leaned over on his shoulder and smiled at him. "I really am still sick though. When I feel better, can you take me back outside?"

He smiled back at her. "Yeah."

Mannen told her to go back to sleep and tried to get up again but Kai pulled him back down. "Don't leave," she muttered, beginning to fall asleep on his shoulder, "Not yet."


	16. Four Wise Men Provoke The Queen

**(Lidia-Number 16. I feel proud. But I must say, that Fruits Basket anime I had planned on doing, I might not do, or might just put off doing for a while. Don't ask why. I have my reasons. fakes an evil laugh But directly after this one, I'll be doing another Pretear one. And as always, I must add my own original character. I try to make it a habit. Which means this one will be ending soon. Most likely in the next chapter. whimpers This is the first one I wrote in a while so I learned…something…I guess. I know next time…add more fluff! Lol**

**Reviewer Responses:**

**Magical Proof-You can have him later. I need him now! lol)**

**The Legendary Knight-**Four Wise Men Provoke The Queen

Kai cleaned up and met the four older knights in the library downstairs. She plopped her self down on the sofa with a smile on her face, glad she felt better in time to meet such a beautiful day. That snowstorm melted away and it was said to have been the last snow of the season. Tomorrow would be the first day of Spring but it was already beginning to feel warmer in the outer-world. Though it always felt good in Lefaenia. Deep down she knew she was just a bit happier because she was going to go outside today. Even if she denied the fact in her mind that it was because Mannen was the one taking her outside. It made the conversation she was about to have a little more bearable. "We have to talk to you about something," Goh began.

"I wouldn't be here if you didn't. So what is I?" _Like I don't already know._

"There's a lot of dead Lefae circulating around that island you used to live on. More importantly, from an underground cellar that you happened to be in if what I've heard is correct. We need you to tell us what's down there. If not, then we need you to come out there today with us."

Kai sighed. "I'm not going, and I don't know what's down there. It's not like anyone handed me a flash light."

"You had to have run into it right?" Hayate asked.

Kai looked at him as if he were the most dense person in the world. "If I had, I wouldn't be here now. Obviously everyone down there ran into something."

Hayate looked a little disappointed and sighed. "Fine, but we're going today and you're coming with us."

Kai now got out of her happy mood. "Why the hell should I have to?"

"Because you're the only one that's been down there. Himeno has to stay here and watch Lefaenia while we're gone. If something _is_ down there, we need you around to pret with."

Kai sat there waiting for him to finish talking. Then replied slowly, "I'm…not…going."

"C'mon Kai-" Goh tried but was interrupted when Kai shouted.

"No!"

"Please understand," Sasame whispered into her ear from behind. "It's for your own good and ours as well that you come."

Being the knight of sound, the mere change in tone could put the wildest of beasts to sleep. "Sa…sa……me," Kai passed out and Sasame caught her before she hit the sofa.

"What's going on?" Mannen asked. He had slipped into the library just as Sasame was putting Kai to sleep.

"Nothing. We need you to stay here and watch after things. We're going somewhere. We'll be back shortly," Kei explained. Normally Mannen wouldn't approve of letting a bunch of men carry off an unconscious girl somewhere but this was different.

"Yeah, sure."

llllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"She's starting to wake up," Sasame said after the fifth time she tried rolling over in his arms. Kai yawned and stretched as if this were her first time waking today. Her eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was Sasame's nervously smiling face. Then she remembered.

"Put me down!" she shouted. Sasame set her up straight. She tried bolting into a random direction but Goh lifted her up into the air by her arm.

"Now where do you think you're going?" Goh smiled.

"Goh, do you remember the first time you did this when we first met?"

"Yeah."

"…Want me to aim lower?"

Goh got nervous and dropped her just in time for Hayate to scoop her up. "We're almost there. Calm down." Kai's mouth snapped shut and her eyes went wide when she saw the cellar double doors leading into the ground a few feet in front of her. Before, when she had come here with Sasame, it wasn't a problem because she knew she wasn't going back down. But now…now she was…afraid. Hayate could feel her shivering violently in his arms. He'd never seen her so frightened. "S-stop being such a baby," was all he could manage to say. They got closer and Kai freaked out.

"Let go!"

"Stay still. It's not like we're going to leave you down there by yourself!" Kai kicked at him and jumped around but he still wouldn't let go and he dragged her closer.

_I don't want to…see it…I don't want to…hear it…I don't want to…talk about it…**stop making me think about it!**_ "Let go of me!"

Kei draped his sleeve over his nose at the disgusting smell of rotting flesh. He held his hand out and lit the area. Dead bodies lay across the floor like old carpeting, very few areas to stand. Kei tried to light a more grand area but for some reason it wouldn't. "Let's go," he signaled before floating inside.

_Duhlhguhlsisio**Go ahead. What are you waiting for?** TralhgfiluhrtliuhslihrtrryouhtueiRun!gukhuysguyfksyfksuyfkusNow!fggiyfsygskyghsuygskyugfdkyudfskgysgkygf._

Kai looked around for a moment to see who said that. But after a while it didn't matter. She bit down into Hayate's arm so he let go, then scurried off. "Don't go down there!" Kai shouted, but it was in a voice so unlike her own. It wasn't her own. And it scared the others. Kei heard the voice and hopped back out of the cellar just before the doors closed on it's own. His sleeve caught in the doors. When he finally yanked his sleeve out, it seemed as though someone had singed the edges. "I-I want to leave now."

llllllllllllllllll(olden times. Four wise men provoke the Queen)lllllllllllllllllllll

"Bring the humans forth," one woman ordered.

Just then, four men scurried in with their noses to the floor. "Why is it you seek so badly our advise."

"Our world is that of a corrupt one, in which my eyes grow weary to the sight."

"Our world is that of a corrupt one, in which my ears wish to reject the sound."

"Our world is that of a corrupt one, in which my mouth dare not speak of it's filth."

"Our world is that of a corrupt one, in which my mind drive me mad at the thought."

"Do thy divine and wise men ask us to fix the world or themselves?"

"The world."

"What is to fix of thy world in which you dwell?" one woman asked with a hint of surprise.

"It cannot be done," responded the other with bland tone.

"Then help us fix ourselves, so that we may pass our wisdom to the next."

"Fix yourselves? But why? What is wrong? You my dear wise man have the sight of blessing. You can see this evil. Does that make you impaired? You are the way you are and there is nothing wrong."

The other woman spoke with a different view. "Fix yourselves? But of course. If you wish. I am here to save you. See no evil. Cover your eyes and I shall grant you the…gift… of the blind man."

The wise man did so and lost his sight. "My dear wise man, is not hearing the evil what make you wise? The blessing of hearing. You hear the evil, so fix the evil that plagues those ears. You are the way you are and there is nothing wrong."

"My dear wise man, if you wish, I shall save you. Hear no evil. Cover you ears and I shall grant you the…gift…of the def man."

The wise man did so and lost his hearing. "My dear wise man, is not speaking the evil to those who cannot understand what makes you wise? The blessing of speech. You speak the evil, so speak it until those of evil things turn way. Then you shall speak the words of peace. You are the way you are and there is nothing wrong."

"My dear wise man, if you wish, I shall save you. Speak no evil. Cover your mouth and I shall grant you the…gift…of the mute man."

The wise man did so and lost his hearing. "…my dear wise man…why wish you to stop thinking of the evil surrounding you. It is impossible to not think of when you live in it. Fix your surroundings and you will then fix yourself. The blessing of thought is the blessing of life. You grow weary of the evil, not mad from the thought. Purify your world and your mind in the process. But I bade you not listen to my sister, for only one other option awaits you…You are the way you are and there is nothing wrong."

"But if you seek fixing as your brother wise men, then I shall fix you my child if that is what you wish. Stand to face me, and I shall grant you the…gift…of an peaceful mind."

The fourth wise man obeyed the second voice without question, and fell to the ground soon after. **_Be grateful for the thoughtless mind…the gift of the dead man._**

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"So there were no wise men, just stupid ones."

"What are you babbling about now?" Mannen asked.

Kai shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing." It was a new day and the four older knights had decided against going back today, or any day so far. What ever was down there were to stay down there unless it caused trouble.

"You still hungry?"

"Nooope. Just bored."

"Well, there's an arcade down the street."

"I know but I'm not allowed in there."

"Why not?"

"Let's just say the owner and my father never really got along."

"There's another back that way."

"Not there either. Every time I show up he freaks out thinking I'm there to kill him."

"…o..kay…there's a di-"

"Diner. Hideki's. Don't think so."

"How many place are you not allowed to go here."

"Lost count."

Mannen sighed. "The park. Is there anything wrong with the park."

"Besides the bugs?"

"Let's go."

The two sat down on a nearby bench. "It's not as cold as it was before but it feels pretty good outside."

Kai noticed the gap he left between them when he sat down, so she scooted over, making the knight a little more nervous. "Yeah-"

"Manny!" The loud shriek hurt Kai's ears and she looked to find the noise. Sure enough, it one of the girls she recognized from the restaurant. "Hey Manny!" She shouted while skipping over.

O god… What the hell does she want…? 

"I was going to drop by and see you a while back but it snowed so bad." She glanced over at Kai who only stared at her back. Obviously she knew who she was. "O…you…hi."

"I don't like you. You don't like me. Don't bother saying anything to me."

"Well do you mind?"

"What?"

"I want to sit down…next to Mannen."

"There's a nice grassy spot beside the bench where you can sit." Kai smiled at the woman who only feebly smirked back.

"Now's not a good time," Mannen said, trying to wave the girl off.

"Why not?"

"You always stop by his job right. Well talk to him there. Honestly, you don't even know him. What would you talk about? Your day? The news? It's not like he'd care. Would you?" Kai explained in monotone.

The woman winced at her and smiled back at Mannen before waving and walking away. "That was easy," Mannen said surprised.

"She's going to end up showing up at your job everyday now. Just to let you know."

"I didn't want to think about it."

The two laughed. "You're pathetic."

"And you're not?"

Kai thought about it for a moment. "Eh…no."

"O c'mon!"

"I'm not. I don't have crazy people stalking me like you do anyway. Tell the poor girl you don't like her so she'll just go away." Kai yawned and leaned on Mannen, whose face turned bright red. "I'm bored again."

"You're always bored."

"Not all the time. Just now. You're boring me to sleep."

Mannen sighed to keep back a shout that he new would start another argument. "Fine, go to sleep." Mannen wrapped his arm around her, which practically forced her to fall into him.

llllllllllllllllllllllllll

"I didn't come here to watch this crap."

"Relax my sister. I have something in store for them."

"What? Are we going to get to kill them?"

"Not that. The _other_ thing."

"O the guy you got to ruin the moment right?"

"Yes, yes now hush."

Kana rolled her eyes at her sister Takata. So annoying was she and all her superior mind games. _Force is better. So what if you're smart? You're too weak to defend yourself. I could kick her ass right now if I wanted to. But I'd be scowled for it._ She looked back in Mannen and Kai's direction from where they spied in the forest. _Good lord, they're talking again…maybe I can provide my self with a little mindless entertainment…let's see…(high pitched voice-Kai)O Mannen, what could you have possibly brought me out here for? (deep voice-Mannen)As if you don't already know baby. (-Kai)O Mannen I love you! (-Mannen)I love your bod. (-Kai)Take me right now! Right here in the park! _

(-Mannen)Whatever you say babe… O great, they're actually making out. I think I'm going to be sick.

"Kana, pay attention. He's coming."

"Whatever."

lllllllllllllllllllllllll

Kai broke for air. "You don't have to try and eat my face!" Kai wiped her mouth and sat back down.

"You threw yourself on me," Mannen teased with a smirk on his face. Kai punched him in the arm. "Ow! Will you stop doing that!" Just then someone's dog ran up and jumped on the too. "What the hell!"

"Well isn't this the hottest dog I've ever seen." Kai pet the golden tan dog. "It's kinda big though."

"Don't touch it, it might have flees."

"Don't be so mean. It's cute doggie!" It held a red frisby in it's mouth that looked rather worn out and it kept poking Mannen with it, as if it wanted him to throw it.

"I'm not touching that thing."

"Go ahead and throw it Mannen. It's no big deal. If you want it to go away that badly then you'll do it."

Just as Mannen was about to, a guy rushed up and grabbed the dog's leash. "Sorry 'bout that," he apologized. "He'll just jump on any stranger that passes by now-a-days…wait…Kai…Kaisho Haritanzu?"

Kai looked away from the dog finally, at him. "Do I know you?"

"Don't joke around seriously…you don't know who I am?"

"Should I?"

Mannen stared at the boy curiously himself. _How come it's always a guy that seems to know her? _

"Akira Nanasei," he said in a more said tone. Kai looked shocked for a moment but quickly covered it up. "We…used to…go out…"

"You used to what?"

Kai elbowed Mannen's side so he'd shut up. "Of course I remember you. So…h-hey."

"Hey?…That's it?"

"…Pretty much. I don't have anything else to say to you," she responded coldly.

lllllllllll(flash back)lllllllllllll

"I'll get in trouble being out so late!' Kai whispered in a harsh tone, "What is it?"

He stopped her when they were in the middle of the woods, almost near shore, and spoke in a low tone. "I'm leaving."

"You're what?"

"I'm leaving. I can't stay here anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm tired of having to be afraid of your f&# father! Do you really like staying here, killing people day after day just because your dad says so?"

"Don't ask me that."

"I want you to come with me."

"Hell no! I can't leave!" Kai lowered her tone so they wouldn't get caught. "Do you know what they're going to do to your family when you leave. What they'll do to my sister if I leave."

"My parents are who told me to go. And about Mao, she can come too."

"Akira, I'm not leaving. If you want to run away from him, then go ahead. But I'm staying."

Akira sighed and tried to give her hug before he left but she just slapped his hand away. "Bye," she smiled. _I hate you…_

lllllllllll(end)llllllllllllllll

After Akira walked away Mannen spoke again. "Well…that was awkward-"

"I want to go home." _I just can't get a break…ever._

"Y-yeah, sure." Mannen stretched when he got up from his seat. Then he noticed two women staring at them from behind a bush in the wood. He immediately remembered who they were. _Those two girls that stole from the fountain…_They must have noticed him look because in the blink of an eye, they were gone. _They probably did this on purpose._

"What are you staring at?" Kai asked when she noticed he wasn't moving.

"Nothing, let's go." He grabbed her by the wrist so she'd walk faster.

llllllllllllllllllllllllll

"Great. He saw us because you couldn't find a better hiding spot! They're probably on to us now." Kana argued.

"Just shut up and keep running. I've got a plan but we've got o beat them back to Lefaenia."

"We can't keep straining our power to get through that barrier. You of all people should know that."

"Just once more is all we need."

llllllllllllllllllllllllll

"Hayate, I have to talk to you," Mannen said as soon as he saw the brute.

"Not now Mannen," Hayate said a bit annoyed. He and Himeno were alone in the lower hall and obviously in the middle of something. But what Mannen had to say was more important.

"I saw Takako's children!"

"I said not-…what?"

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Kai was in her room with the door closed. Her eyes were fixed on the picture frame on her windowsill. _Whether I had left then or when I did…they died anyway. They would have died with me there. Maybe not as fast if I were there but still. If only my idiot brother knew how to keep a group of people organized. They wouldn't have been so surprised and this wouldn't have happened. _Interrupting her thoughts was a tap on the door. _Only Sasame knocks so lightly._ She got up from her seat on the bed and opened the door. There was no one out there. _That's weird, must be my imagination._ She closed the door, but didn't turn around. Something was there. She turned around, ready to drop kick whatever it was…but again…nothing. _I could have sworn…Nah, I must be getting rusty._ She leaned on the door with a small smirk on her face at the thought that maybe she might be getting soft living with these people, then suddenly it swung open and she was sucked out of her room. The door slammed shut seconds after.

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"So you're saying they're trying to change her themselves. That makes sense. Takako's trying to destroy the world, what better way than to resurrect the Queen of Destruction." Kei thought it over a while. "They'd need to perform an awakening though, and even then it's not positive that she'll awaken as the Queen. Maybe she'll awaken as the White Knight. It depends on her mental state, because right now I believe they've been tilting the odds in their favor."

"Where is she Mannan?" Hayate asked.

"I saw her go upstairs so she's probably in her room."

"Well go get her. We can't leave her by herself."

"I don't think she's up there," Sasame stated a bit worried. "I don't feel her presence of sound in the palace."

Hayate didn't want to believe it. Not now. Not until he looked. He ran upstairs as swift as the wind and tried opening the door but it was locked. So he rammed it in with his shoulder. To his dismay…it was empty. "Damn it!"

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"Untie me! I'll kill you both!" _**Now sister, don't make threats you can't follow through with. At least, not in this body. Who knows, maybe it will be you who awakens and not I. **You speak of only heathen deception!** Now I'm hurt. Truly hurt. Try as you like, you want untied, I want bound, our actions cancel out each other's. So we don't move anywhere. The girl's unconscious anyway. So we stay right here, just where I want to be.** _

"The Knight keeps running off at the mouth, so why doesn't she do something already?" Kana asked annoyed.

"How the hell should I know? While they were distracted, you got the youth fountain water for mother right?" Takata asked.

"She's drinking it right now. She said she'd be down in a second."

"Heeeeeelllooooooooooo my children! Hello!" Takako was practically bouncing. She looked her youthful self again. And just as evil as ever.

"Hello mother."

"What? No compliments? I'm stunning, no?"

"You look beautiful mother." The two twins always had a habit of replying to her in the same tone, with the same words, even thought they were obviously such different people.

"Alright, I'm here, the dark priests are here, the two best daughters in the world are here, let the awakening begin."

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"You're telling me she's not in the outer world either?" Hayate asked worriedly.

"I've tried hearing her out for the fifth time already, she's not."

"He can't keep this up Hayate. Sasame will get sick like last time," Himeno pleaded.

Hayate sighed. "Alright-"

"Wait I hear something," Sasame interrupted. "It's a bit faint, but I hear it."

"Take us there."

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

"Are you sure she went down there Sasame?"

They stared at the open cellar door a while. The older knights remembering how it almost locked Kei in before. "I'm sure," Sasame said hopping in. The others followed. Hayate pretted with Himeno before jumping in, just incase something happened. They were surprised to see a pathway lit by torches down there. Rotting flesh singed their noses to the point when they wanted to puke. Shin did puke, so they told him to stay outside the cellar and keep watch. They walked further down it a while until they spotted a figure at the end of it. It turned to them with a grin on its face. It…was Kai…the Queen of Destruction. Her hair hung in a lengthy mess, a black crown sat on top of it. Her black gown was hugged by her outside corset, and in her hand was a long sword with a blade of fire. Her eyes matched the color. She looked like one from the demon world. She faced a grand wall, with a mirror just like that in the Lefaenian cave.

"What took you so long? I began to get bored. You won't like me when I'm bored." The rest just stood there shocked. There were two furry demon dogs lying at her feet. They raised their heads to look at the knights. Kai turned away from the wall, looking at them with an annoyed glare. "Come forth," she said in a more humble voice. "I don't wish harm on you yet." They did as told, though they didn't want to, and paused again. She saw what they were staring at and waved to them while saying, "Relax. I fed them already."

"F-Fed them what?" Hajime asked nervously.

Kai fully turned to them now. "Broccoli, I fed them broccolli."

"Huh?"

"People dumb ass now get over here," Kai demanded and Hajime ran up. But once again, he didn't mean to. Even in this form Kai sounded like her old sarcastic self.

"Get away from her Hajime!" Kei shouted.

"It's not his fault. He can't help it. I own him," she said, running a fingernail down his cheek. Then she smirked. "Or half of him anyway. But that's not why I'm not killing you right now. I just wanted to tease you for a while."

"You're not Kai. You're the one from the wall," Himeno said a bit scared. "Kai wouldn't feed her dogs people. She wouldn't even be down here." Unlike everyone else, Himeno, even while pretted with Hayate, didn't jump at her every command. She stepped forward more until she was just a few feet away. _Himeno, don't. Back away from her._ _I can't Hayate. I'm not going to keep fighting innocent people. It's not her fault she's like this._

"You don't even know her," the woman scowled. But it soon turned into another smirk. "You don't know her like I know her. What she says and what she thinks. The two are completely different. Even know I can feel her suffering within me. I don't want to see it. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to talk about it. But I can't stop thinking about it. Tell me…how not to think about it…I can help you Kai, my child. I'll make it so you don't have to think about anything ever again."

"Shut up!" Himeno shouted. "It's not like her to take the easy way out. Kai's strong. She doesn't need your help!"

"Don't you raise your voice at me!" Kai held out her hand and Himeno flew back, but Hayate took the impact. _I told you to back away! I'm sorry._

"I apologize. I shouldn't have done that. It'd be no fun if I killed you now. Besides, Takako asked that I let her kill you Hayate, Himeno. As a thanks for my awakening, I thought 'why not?' We'll all be dead in the end right. I don't wish to kill you knights though. I can't. The most I can do is take half your Lefae. The half that belongs to me." Kai laughed before disappearing.

Mannen couldn't speak the entire time. _That's what she's been muttering in her sleep. But what is that supposed to mean. I don't…want to think about it? She's been suffering and I didn't know…Is this my fault?_


	17. THE LEGENDARY KNIGHT

**(Lidia-This is the last chapter. I'm gonna miss this story, and Kai…and Mannen. My next story isn't so much about Mannen. Infact…barely about Mannen. Centered on new character Kagura, Himeno, Sasame, Hayate. Don't worry! I'll make the rest of the knights occasionally stop by! Title: Field Full of Daisies Rated: M. So Ya. That was my little plug in. Everyone does it…I think. Anyway, this chapter is going to be a lot shorter than usual. Don't be angry! Lol No really…don't. This one was a bit rushed 'cuz I have a virus on my comp' and I don't know when I'm gonna get completely cut off. Gotta fix it. Like right after this. So annoying to do.**

**Reviewer Responces:**

**Samurai-lapin: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you hold me to such high expectations!…a little nervous but glad!)**

**The Legendary Knight-**THE LEGENDARY KNIGHT 

_**End your suffering and everything that causes it.** She's right. You can't run away from your fears. She's right. **That killer instinct is in you by nature. So why not use that…gift to end this pain. Kill those who stand in your way of your peace and your pain.** She's right. Killing won't solve anything. Though you may be capable of it doesn't mean you kill when not necessary. You are the only one who stands in between your peace and your pain. She's right. You're both right. You've both always been right.** I'm always right…always right…but what will you do with two opposite right answers? **I…don't…know. **Wrong answer. What are you going to do with two opposite right answers?** I don't know. **Wrong answer. What are you going to do with two opposite right answers! **I said I don't know! I'll get my own damn answer! **…** I can't take two different answers from two different people and make any sense of it. Ones blind with rage and chaos**, the other's blind with naivety and a carefree attitude.** **So what are you going to do?** What I want…I guess…**Hah! Not while I'm in charge sweety. Besides…I've got plans for you.**_

"Shin!" Himeno shouted before running up to his body, lying on the ground. He coughed up blood. He looked so weak and pale.

"K-Kai," Shin said, trying his best to speak. It hurt him though and he felt too drained to try.

"Don't Shin," she shushed. _She did this! When I find her-. Hayate! It's not her fault. Like hell it isn't! You know it isn't. Well that doesn't seem to matter now does it. _

"Hajime, take Shin back to Lefaenia," Kei ordered. Hajime immediately obeyed. "We have to get to the city now."

lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Kai entered the city and stared at all the busy people, all the buildings. **"Where o where will I start first? I'm so excited!"**

"Hey babe," came a voice from behind her. Kai turned around to see about five six or seven guys standing there. "What are you doing walking all alone…by yourself. It's not safe."

**_Wannabe gang members. Eh, an appetizer won't hurt. "O, I had no idea. Than I guess walking down this up coming alley would be even less safe."_**

The boy's looked at her amused and surprised. _This bitch is crazy. Who cares. I haven't had any fun in a long time._

Kai walked down the alley with each of them trailing a few feet behind her. Once out of sight, there were a few rustling noises followed by loud screams and gun fires. Then Kai returned, wiping a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth and the rest from her sword. **"They didn't even put up much of a fight. How boring."** Kai was getting looks from passers and many were running away at the sight behind her. Others were wondering why her sword was on fire. **_Now what…back to square one…I guess I'll start with the closest building. _**She dragged her fingernail across the outside wall of the building closest to her as she walked past. When she reached the end, it collapsed forward and people began panicking and running in all directions. She used her power to control earth and uprooted other buildings that leveled onto pedestrians below. Occasionally she tear apart those running by with her sword. **_Men, women, children, it's all the same to me._**

"KAI!"

Kai halted in her tracks as the third building came down behind her. She turned and after the dust settled, she saw the knights, absent two, and Himeno standing there looking devastated…enthralled with rage. **"What? You want to die already? Don't disturb me when I'm having fun."**

"This is fun to you!" Goh asked as angry as he'd ever been. He absentmindedly charged at her only to be blasted back.

"Don't waste my time. I have no need for you right now—" 

"You're…not Kai. Kai killed before but she wouldn't do something like this," Mannen said while he looked down at the crushed seven-year old. "So what'd you do with her? You did something so tell me what you did with her!"

Kai smirked at him. _Mannen… _"I-…**…O you're good." _Don't bother trying, there's nothing you can do from in here. _**_Yes you can. …How? **Figure it out for yourself. Lord know I'm not going to help you.** Just give me my damn body back!_ _**It's mine now. And you should know I don't take care of my things. **She's going to kill us after she's done. _ "I don't want her to. Give it back! Get out of my body and give it back!"

The others just watched the mad woman fall to her knees crying. Mannen walked up to her, despite his warnings not to. "Kai?"

"Get away from me."

He kneeled down and pulled her head to his chest. "It's alright. You can fight it. I'm…here. Alright."

"**How sweet but I'll pass," **Kai laughed. Raised her sword to stab the knight in the back but Himeno knocked it out of her hand wind a blast of wind.

Mannen looked shocked and backed away while Kai reached for her sword again. Himeno drew her sword of wind. "I'll help you Kai. I just have to."

"Lucky shot! But since you seem to be the only one I can't manipulate…you should prove to be more fun…I hope. I did promise your life to Takako but she's running late."

"Not so fast. I'm here," Takako smirked.

Kai looked annoyed. **"Well it took you long enough."**

"Who do you think you're talking to like that? I'm the Princess of Disaster. I could kill you right now."

Kai went from a look of shock, to uncontrollable laughter. _She awakened you and doesn't know the whole story? How foolish.** How funny!** **She's full of herself.**_

"And what's so funny. You should be kissing my ass for doing you a favor."

"**You only did it because you're selfish. Expecting me to quicken the pace on you getting what you want just because some guy doesn't like you? It's pathetic! You're nothing but a waste of flesh and blood. And you ranking yourself above me… it's just…hilarious and insulting at the same time. Unfortunately I can't stay and play around." **Kai took off.

"Get back here!" Mannen took off after her.

"Wait," Himeno was about to follow but was cut off when Kana and Takata double punched her to the ground.

"I believe you've met my servants."

"Servants," Kana mouthed in an degraded way.

"But of course. You don't think I planned on keeping you around after I regained my youth, did you?"

"You need us and you know it!" Takata shouted.

"You're right. I do need you. To feed the tree."

Just then, two demon larvae tentacles snapped in through the two girls' hearts and yanked them under the ground. "How could you do such a thing to your own children?" Himeno whimpered.

Takao frowned. "And who exactly would I have children with stupid woman? They're made from demon talismans. And two fake hateful hearts substitute for a real one. The tree doesn't care the difference. It will absorb all life eventually."

The ground began shaking and throught the rubble, something came sprouting from the ground. "Everyone out of the way!"

lllllllllllllllllllllll

_**This is annoying. If he doesn't stop following me I'm going to kill him.** Don't touch him! **I don't think that's your decision. And if you don't stop pushing me out of control we'll all die. We're pretty high in the air and you can't fly.** So what's your point? **So you're taking the path of the fourth wise man? How…wise. Shall I kill you now or later?** _The evil voice in Kai's head seemed to speak in a teasing manner. _It's still your body. She can't kill you without killing herself. **I'll be doing that eventually anyway.** You're stupid. **Ugh! That's it I'm stopping.**_ Kai turned around to kill him, but noticed Mannen had already stopped moving. **"Wha-…**……What the hell?" About six or seven vines had jolted up from the ground and shot through his stomach. He couldn't even speak because he was choking on his own blood. Then the vines whipped out of him and he came crashing down to the floor. By the time Kai had flown down there, He had already disappeared. "This…is your fault," Kai muttered as if she couldn't believe what had just happened. It happened so quickly. Tears were beginning to rise in her already angry eyes. _**True I was going to kill him, I even tried to before, but I didn't. **Those were vines from the Tree of Fenril. If you're going to blame anyone, blame Takako. **So what are you going to do?** …I get it now…but it's…a little late. This is my body and whether you two plan on leaving or not, I can't do anything about it. But Since you two are going to be two different versions of me now, then you're not going to keep fighting over who does what. Both of you are going to have to be one knight now. **That makes sence. After all, I need you to live now unless I want to go back to that seal. I guess this would be better than that.** Yes…it would. _

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"I'm…back," Hajime said surprised at the sight of everyone attacking either Takao or the extremely large tree. Where did Mannen and Kai go? And…why were Hayate and Sasame fighting? _What the hell happened while I was gone!_ (This is around the time Sasame switched sides okay?)

"Hajime! Go evacuate the city! Hurry up!" Kei ordered.

He hesitated, thinking they needed more help but left anyway. On his way out, he saw something approaching, it wizzed past him and for a second there he could have sworn it was Kai covered in red. Then again, at this moment, pigs could start flying and he'd still not know what was going on. If Takako hadn't of turned around, when she did, Kai would have sliced her in half. "Kai?" Himeno asked surprised. It wasn't the same Kai she had grown to know, but at the same time it wasn't the same Kai she'd seen moments earlier.She was dressed in a the uniform of the White Knight picture drawn on the cave wall but it was tainted deep red. She didn't even bother looking back at the beat up woman. A loud thump followed her shriek of Hayate's name. Takako just stared at her.

"H-how…"

"Takako, you're hurt. Emotionally hurt and you can't stop thinking about it. I'm here to help you. You can either stop being selfish and get over the fact that a guy doesn't like you…" Kai held her sword up to the women. "Or I can grant you the gift of the fourth wise man so you don't have to think about your pain anymore."

"Don't!" came a loud voice from behind.

Kai swung her sword at the terrified woman and…Sasame jumped in the way. Upon this action his extending sword stabbed Kai in the stomach by mistake and both fell to the floor…………………………………………_…………………_

_And so it went on as the legend says. The pretear saved the dying knight of wind, restored the knight of sound, saved Takako's rotting heart which soon fell for Sasame, restored the city back to it'' normal state, restored the knight of earth, and destroyed the tree when it was low on it's artificial supply by becoming the legendary White Pretear. However, with all this, she gave the last of her Lefae to the knight of ice. But it was only enough for him to start over. And for Kai…she couldn't save her. She used the last of her power until the love of a knight brought her back………………_

"Don't drink from that!" Shin shouted. He snatched Mannen up from the fountain.

"Hajime is," Mannen complained.

"If Hajime jumped off a building, would you?" Shin scowled the five-year old.

"If it was fun," he shrugged.

Shin sighed, completely annoyed. "Listen. When you turn twenty, you can drink some too. Right now it's just Hajime's turn. You don't want to stay this age forever do you?"

"…"

"Do you really need to think about it!"

"I'm thirsty now."

"I thought I told you to watch the brats," Hayate said, holding up an obviously angry little girl.

"Her too huh?"

"Came this close. You need to keep a closer look."

"Put me down you bastard!"

"Watch your mouth!"

"You're not my fu-ing father! Besides, Onii-chan, Yang-chan says there are no such thing as bad words and all that stuff you said about bad words is bullsh-"

"Don't finish that sentence! And don't say bad words or I'll wash your mouth out with soap! And stop listening to that Yang voice inside your head. She's a bad influence. Listen to Yin-chan. You like her don't you."

"Yeah, she's the one that told me to drink that stuff in the first place. I didn't know it tasted like candy."

Hayate could feel his eye twitching. _They're children. Her, the two in her head, they're all five-year olds. They're all…troublemakers. _"Forget I said that. Don't listen to either of them."

"Maybe they're right," Mannen frowned. "You just want it all for yourself!"

"Do something with them!" Hayate shouted at Shin now. "Please before I go crazy."

"Sure thing buddy," he said, grabbing Kai. Both children were kicking and screaming.

"Put me down!"

"Be quiet you two. Please." _I can't believe I used to like her. After watching her grow up I'm never going to be able to look at her the same way again._ Shin placed the two in a large wooden pin.

"You can't just lock us up in this thing like we're babies!" Mannen shouted. He kicked the side of the pin and it shook.

"Stop that! You two stay right there and play nice."

"Wha-"

Kai snapped her hand over Mannen's mouth and smiled at Shin. "Okay Shi-chan! We'll play nice!"

"That's good," he said, turning to talk to one of the Lefaenian girls that showed up for Hajime's fountain immortality ritual.

The two exchanged mischievous glances. "O we'll play nice alright."

Mannen removed her hand from his mouth. "Yin and Yang got a plan?"

"It's not always them ya know. I've got one…they just agree with me."

"Sure. Whatever."

"…Ice block," Kai muttered to herself before explaining to him. "That simple. Got all that dodo?"

"Yes sir."

Kai punched him the arm. "Stop calling me a boy!"

"Are you playing nice in there!" Shin stared.

The two stopped arguing and smiled at him. "Yes Shi-chan(Shin)!"

"Well aren't they adorable!" the girl piped as she walked over to the pin.

Shin followed closely behind. "They're in time-out," Shin warned.

The girl looked at them sympathetically with bright blue eyes. "But they don't look like they have a deceiving bone in their body. That's the Ice Knight right? And the knew one. She's so cute. Her eyes almost look gold. I'm jealous."

"They're not that great," Shin waved, trying to get her to ignore them.

The girl looked up at Shin and smiled. "You're like their big brother right? That's so nice." Shin turned a bright red and began stuttering.

"Now, while they're not paying attention," Mannen whispered. The backed toward the side where the two teens stood, and rammed the other side at the same time. It tipped onto the floor and they scurried off.

"Get back here!" Shin said, chasing after them.

The two made paths of ice, sliding across them toward the fountain while at the same time, avoiding the vines Shin used to try and stop them. Then a huge wind blew past and knocked Kai over. "Hurry up Mannen! You're almost there!"

"No you don't!" Hayate caught the boy before he dove in headfirst. "What…did…I…**tell you?**"

"Never leave you're right open for attack?"

"Stop trying to drink the damn water! Whatever ideas you have in your head or that Kai put in your head, it's a lie! It's false! And it's not for you to have now! At this rate not ever!"

Sasame approached with Kai on his shoulders. "Let's go. It's their bed time anyway."

"I don't want to go to bed!" Mannen shouted.

"Will you read me a story Sa-chan?" Kai said while poking his face.

"Traitor," Mannen muttered.

"Don't get jealous," Hayate teased before they carried the two off to bed.

Hayate tossed Mannen in bed and made a feeble attempt at tucking him in. "You suck. I want Goh to do it!"

"Shut it brat!"

"He's right Onii-chan." Kai stuck her tongue out at the angry knight.

"I didn't ask you."

"You don't have to be such a…Kaze-Baka!"

"What did you call me," Hayate asked, twitching again.

"It seems she's gained that part of her memory back," Sasame laughed.

"Sa-chan, can I sleep in here?"

"You're sleeping in your room."

"I didn't ask you Kaze-Baka."

"Stop calling me that!"

"He's right Kai. You shouldn't keep sleeping in here."

"Why not?" Mannen protested.

"You'll get it when you're older," Sasame laughed.

"That's your answer to everything," Kai sulked. "Get a new excuse for being mean."

Sasame now laughed nervously. He wasn't about to sit here and discuss birds and bees with a child. He carried her off to her room, tucked her in, and turned out the light. _She couldn't still be afraid of the dark…I'll just leave…they probably need help cleaning up that mess downstairs anyways._

Shortly after Sasame left, Kai snuck into Mannen's room. "Psst…psssssssst…pssssssssssssssssss-"

"I'm awake," Mannen said annoyed and humored at the same time. "Hungry right?"

"Yeah. C'mon."

The two stepped up on counters to grab the peanut butter from the cabinet. Mannen grabbed the celery out of the fridge when the help walked out. As you should already know, children aren't exactly the cleanest in the kitchen. "You're getting peanut butter everywhere," Mannen complained.

"So? You did too and you don't see me saying anything." Kai ignored him and started eating.

"Kai?…Kai?…Kai?…Why'd you even ask me to come if you're going to ignore me?"

"Because I know what you're going to say."

"What?"

"Nothing. You're going to say nothing. Every time we come down here you say Kai? I say What? You say Nothing, forget it. Unless you're actually gonna say somethin' this time, I'm gonna ignore you."

"Fine, whatever." Mannen shut up and ate. _I just…feel like this happened before. I think I wanted to say something and didn't say it. What was it though?_

"You thirsty?"

"Uh…yeah."

_Now why do I feel like I should have said no?_ Kai handed him a cream soda. _Something's telling me not to open it…but why? …I'm thirsty…really thirsty…_

"What's you're problem. You gonna drink it or what?"

"Uh…yeah." Mannen opened it and out squirt in his face a bunch of fizzed cream soda. _Yup…this had to have happened before._ Mannen grabbed her grape soda, shook it up, and splashed it in her face. Soon it turned into an all out war. Throwing peanut butter, celery, and soda. "We should get out now. I think someone's coming." Kai just smiled at him. Instead of blushing madly, he just smiled back.

"You're gonna get us in trouble," Mannen said nervously when Kai climbed in bed next to him. "Hayate said-"

"So what. I don't wanna sleep by myself. I'm scared and they don't care." Then she whimpered so Mannen would cave.

"Alright, alright. Don't cry." Mannen lied down. "'Night," he mumbled. The messy child dug his sticky face into his pillow.

Kai stared at him for a while and smiled again. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. And now his face went red. "G'night," she yawned before falling asleep._ I'll remember what I wanted to say sooner or later. I promise…_


End file.
